Black Sabbath
by The Anime Otaku
Summary: AU. An ancient evil has been unleashed. No one can stop it. A long forgotten war will start again. No one can stop it. All life will soon be wiped out. And no one can stop it. CxR, JxFxAz
1. Choices

I do not own Chrono Crusade, it belongs to Daisuke Moriyama. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow.

This story takes place before the team leaves for San Francisco. After that it takes a sharp left into my own Alternate Universe. I will be using elements from both the Manga and Anime. Enjoy. C&C is appreciated.

Text Key:

() -- thoughts

**Bold **-- sound effects

_Speech_ -- Chrono/Demons in true form

-----------------------------

Black Sabbath

Part One: Choices

By: Anime Otaku

-----------------------------

"_The choice I make today will shake the very foundations of Heaven and Hell themselves tomorrow."_

_-Chrono the Sinner_

-----------------------------

South Brooklyn, New York, 1924

Captain Martin Boxer had seen some pretty bad things during the Great War, but nothing was comparing to the carnage that he was looking at now. Putting a handkerchief to his mouth, he quickly made his way out of the alley to join the other police officers and tried not to loose his lunch like many others had.

"You okay, Captain?" on of the uniformed officers asked.

Boxer wanted to say that no, he wasn't all right, that he was doing everything in his power to keep himself from loosing it right then and there. Instead, he grit his teeth and nodded his head.

"You boys in Homicide ever seen anything like this before?"

Boxer shook his head. "No, never. At least, not this gruesome."

"What do you want us to do, sir?"

"Seal the area off. Make sure that nobody gets through and I mean nobody. Also, get in touch with the Chief; tell him to send the experts down here."

The uniform looked confused. "But, sir, I though you were the expert."

"Not for this. This is something far beyond any kind of police training we could ever do." Boxer paused a few seconds then snapped at the uniform. "Are you going to make that call or not?"

"Oh, um, yes, sir. Right away, sir." The uniform hurried off to carry out his orders.

Sighing in frustration, Boxer walked away from the crime scene and lit a cigarette, trying to calm his nerves down anyway that he could.

(But I wonder, can the Order really handle something like THAT.)

-----------------------------

Magdalan Order Headquarters, New York Branch

"Yes... yes, I understand... I'll send someone down there immediately. Very well. Good day, Chief." Sister Kate hung up the phone and leaned back into her chair with a sigh.

"Trouble again, Sister Kate," Father Remington asked from the couch, his face hidden behind the morning paper.

"Yes. Apparently there was a murder sometime last night and the police want us to help in their investigation."

"I hardly see why this should involve us," Father Remington said, turning a page.

"The inspecting officer says he believes that a Satanic cult may be involved," Sister Kate said.

"I see. And who is the closest Militia member to the crime scene?" When Sister Kate didn't respond, Father Remington peeked over his paper and saw her with her head bowed and her shoulders shaking. Smiling, he said in a cheerful voice, "It's Rosette, isn't it?"

"What choice do I have!" she cried. "Saints forgive me, there was no one else! Unless..." Father Remington suddenly had his paper snatched from his hands and found himself staring down at Sister Kate. His hands were clasped in hers and she had a pleading look on her face. "Father, you'll go too, won't you? To keep her from destroying anything, please?"

Father Remington started to sweat. "Uh... well, I..."

"Good, it's settled then," Sister Kate said, standing up. She quickly went to her desk and wrote down the address then brought it back to Father Remington. "Have a safe trip," she said smiling.

Father Remington sighed and took the paper. "Well, I guess I'll be going then."

"That woman can be scary sometimes," he said once he left her office.

-----------------------------

Queens, New York

Chrono grit his teeth in pain as he was thrown into a nearby building and the rubble came crashing down on him. He heard Azmaria and Rosette scream his name and he smiled to himself. They really shouldn't have to worry about him. As long as he was in his true form, he could withstand a lot more damager than his child-like form. Exploding from the rubble, he landed in front of the demon he was fighting and bared his fangs.

_"We're not done yet,"_ he said, extending his forearm blades. _"Let's go."_

The mission had seemed simple at first. He, Rosette, and Azmaria were to investigate a possible failed demon summoning. Simple, right? Wrong. What they thought was a lower-class demon turned out to be a Pursuer, and he was looking for Chrono. Scared bullets were having little to no effect on him and Rosette was preparing to use a Gospel when her .45 was knocked out of her hands and she was forced to release the Seal.

Chrono had to hold off the Pursuer while Azmaria and Rosette looked for the .45. The only problem was that time was almost up and they still hadn't found the pistol.

"I found it," Azmaria shouted, crawling out from a nearby hedge, the .45 clutched in her hands. "Rosette, catch!"

Rosette caught the .45 and loaded it with a Gospel.

"Bring peace to the lost lambs," she whispered to herself. "I bid thee, give rest to the fangs of the wolf. And call the hammer of death down unto the... Chrono!"

Time had run out. Chrono had reverted to his child-like form and the Pursuer was holding him out in front of him like a shield.

"Do it, Rosette!" Chrono shouted. "Fire the Gospel!"

"No way! Not until you're safe."

"We don't have time to argue! Do it NOW!" Rosette shook her head and started to lower her Colt. "Please, Rosette," he whispered. "Trust me."

_"What are you going to do, little human?"_ the Pursuer sneered. _"Will you sacrifice your little pet here to destroy me?"_

"No," she said, aiming the Colt at the Pursuer, "I won't kill Chrono. But I will kill you!"

The Pursuer started to panic._ "Wait, you can't! You'll kill him as well!"_

"I have complete faith in Chrono," Rosette said, taking aim. "So when he tells me to trust him, I will."

(Chrono, whatever you're planning, please do it fast,) Rosette silently prayed. (I don't want to lose you.)

(Come back to me.)

Rosette squeezed the trigger and the Gospels' power erupted from the .45. She couldn't watch as the Pursuer lifted Chrono in front of its body so he would absorb most of the power. The Pursuer let out one final scream before the Gospel silenced it forever.

Rosette dropped her Colt and ran over to where the demons' body had been, screaming Chrono's name. She had to choke back on a sob when all she found was the charred husk of the body and Chrono's yellow hair ribbon. She picked the ribbon up and held it close to her chest, tears slowly sliding down her face.

"I'm so sorry, Chrono. I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm so sorry," she said, bowing her head.

"Well then, I accept your apology."

Rosette's head snapped up and around, bringing her face to face with Azmaria and a heavily injured Chrono, who was leaning on her for support. His left shoulder was severely burned and his hair fell loosely down his back after coming unbraided. He smiled that goofy-looking smile of his and waved at her.

"C-Chrono? How...?"

Chrono tilted his head at Azmaria. "Our little Azmaria here is becoming quite a sharpshooter."

Rosette glanced down and saw that Azmaria was still clutching her Colt .32 that the Order had issued her.

"It's a good thing too," Chrono said. "If Azmaria had missed, I would be dead right now. I guess I was lucky this time."

Rosette blinked. "What do you mean lucky?"

Azmaria put Chrono on the ground and left to find some bandages for his shoulder.

Chrono chuckled. "Well... at first I was going to splash his hands with Holy Water and get him to drop me. But... I only realized that I had forgotten the Holy Water after you had shot the Gospel."

Rosette stared at Chrono in shock for a second before one of her eyebrows started to twitch and a vein popped out of her head.

"WHAT?" she screamed, grabbing Chrono by his jacket lapels and shaking him back and forth. "You mean to tell me you FORGOT the Holy Water! And that Azmaria saving you was just dumb LUCK!"

As Rosette continued to yell at Chrono for being so careless, Azmaria searched the car for the First-Aid Kit. When she found what she was looking for, she started to leave when the phone on Chrono's ammo box rang.

"Hello, this is Azmaria. Oh, Sister Kate, how are you? Yes, we just finished our mission... Another one? Where at? Okay, I got it. I'll tell her right away."

Azmaria ran back over to Rosette, who was still yelling at an injured Chrono. "Rosette," she yelled, "we've got marching orders."

Rosette looked up and let go of Chrono, letting him fall to the ground.

"What!" she shouted. "But we just got finished with one! Why us?"

"Sister Kate said you're the closest one there and that Father Remington might need your help."

Rosette's eyes went wide and a light blush appeared on her cheeks. "Father Remington is there? C'mon we have to get there right now," she said, running for the car.

Azmaria looked at Rosette in bewilderment then helped Chrono to his feet. "I'm sorry, Chrono. It must hurt to have Rosette completely ignore you like that."

Chrono chuckled. "It's Jake. I know her better than anyone, so I know how she can get sometimes."

Azmaria nodded. "I'll try and fix your shoulder when we get there."

"Thanks, Azmaria."

-----------------------------

South Brooklyn, New York

Father Remington arrived on the scene of the murder when Rosette had started her battle with the Pursuer. He was approached by an elderly man in his late fifties, his hair and mustache almost completely white.

"Father Remington?" he asked.

"Yes. Who are you?"

The man extended is hand, which Father Remington shook. "Captain Martin Boxer, NYPD, Homicide. Are you the only one the Order is sending?"

"No. Others will be here shortly, I was sent ahead of them."

"I see," Boxer said, not really understanding. "Well since you're here, do you want to see the body?"

"Yes. I would like to get a fix on what I will be dealing with here."

"Believe me, Father," Boxer said, leading him past the police tape and to the mouth of the ally, "this is something that neither of us has ever seen before."

Father Remington followed Captain Boxer into the alley and put a hand over his mouth when the most unpleasant odor he had ever smelled assaulted his nostrils.

The two stopped in front of a clear plastic tarp that had been set up around the crime scene to protect if from the falling rain. Captain Boxer put his hand on the tarp and stopped short from pulling it back.

"I must tell you, Father, I've seen some pretty bad things during my time in the Great War. The Western Front Trenches, the Battle of Belleau Wood... but none of that even compares to what I'm about to show you. Are you ready?"

At Father Remington's nod, Captain Boxer pulled back the tarp. The sight that greeted Father Remington was enough to make him want to scream and he had to bite the inside of his hand to stop himself from doing so.

Captain Boxer had been right. This did not even compare to anything he had ever seen before. The pentagram that he was looking at had been drawn out in the victim's blood then outlined with body parts. The arms and legs were placed at the four corners of the star, the head was placed the top point. In the middle of the star, the victim's heart had been placed. The circle that outlined the five point star had been created by using the intestinal tract.

"Mary, Mother of God," Father Remington said, crossing himself.

"There's something else, Father," Captain Boxer said, closing the tarp. "Look at the walls."

Father Remington gladly did, wanting to look at anything else besides the tarp and the gruesome sight it protected. Strange marking were drawn on the walls of the alley, all the way to the end. The text was in a language that he had never seen before and seemed to say the same thing over and over again.

"Got any idea what it says?" Captain Boxer asked.

"Not at all," he said. "Do we have any idea who the victim is?"

The captain got a sad look in his eyes and pulled out a piece of paper from his raincoat. "Found out who she was just before you got here," he said, handing the paper over.

Father Remington unfolded the paper which turned out to be a missing persons poster, the face of the victim staring back at him.

"Her name is Lindsey Baxter. She went missing two days ago from her home in the Bronx. She was only twelve-years-old."

"Family?"

"Just her mother and younger brother. Her father died in the war. Everyone who knew about it was hoping to find her, but... not like this."

"What was a missing person from the Bronx doing all the way down here in South Brooklyn?"

Captain Boxer shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know; I was hoping you could tell me. This place doesn't have any sort of spiritual significance to it, does it?"

"Not that I'm aware of. This could all just be a random act of violence, or, maybe not. I'm sorry to say that I don't know. Even in the Magdalan Order, we've never heard of anything that closely relates to this."

"I want this guy, Father," Captain Boxer suddenly said. "I have to deal with murders, rapists and thieves nearly every day in this city and I can deal with that most of the time. But... when something like this happens to a child, and in such a gruesome manner, I absolutely refuse to let this happen again. I simply refuse it."

Father Remington nodded and put a calming hand on the man's shoulder. "I understand how you feel, Captain. I can assure you that the Magdalan Order will do whatever it can to help you with this."

Captain Boxer was about to thank the Father when the sound of screeching tires and screaming men caught his attention.

"What the hell...?"

Father Remington smiled. "Ah, it would seem that Rosette is here. Excellent."

"Rosette?" the Captain asked, following him out of the alley. "Are you talking about Rosette Christopher?"

Father Remington paused. "Yes, I am. How did you know?"

"I was there when she and her assistant destroyed the Blue Moon Restaurant AND when they rammed the British cargo ship, Ava Adore, into Liberty Island."

"Yes, our little Rosette is quite accident prone, but I can assure you that you will not find a more dedicated Militia member in our whole Order."

"If you say so, Father."

"Don't worry, Captain, I doubt anything will get destroyed this time. Besides, it's not Rosette I'll be needing, but her assistant."

Captain Boxer blinked in disbelief. "You mean Chrono? How could a child possibly be of any use to us in this situation?"

Father Remington smiled at the captain. "Believe it or not, that child has more knowledge about these kinds of situations then we could ever hope to have."

-----------------------------

"Sit still, Chrono, and let me do this," Rosette said in annoyance as she ran her fingers through Chrono's hair, smoothing it out.

"Sorry, Rosette, but I'm still having a hard time believing that you made it here without destroying another car."

Rosette growled and resisted the urge to smack him in the back of the head. "Keep up with the jokes and you'll have more than just a busted shoulder to worry about," she said through clenched teeth.

"All done," Azmaria said, removing her hands from Chrono's shoulder and wiping away the few beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead.

Chrono looked at his shoulder once Rosette announced that she was done braiding his hair. "You okay, Azmaria? You look a little flushed."

"I'm okay, really. It just takes a lot of concentration to control how much of my power I use."

"Well if that's all..."

The young Apostil smiled. "Really, Chrono, I'm okay. Don't worry so much."

"Alright you two that's enough of that," Rosette said, climbing out of the car, her Colt already unholstered. "Now, where's this demon at? I want to get this over with so I can go home and get some sleep."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Rosette," Father Remington said, stepping out of the alley, "but there's no demon here this time."

Rosette blushed. "F-Father Remington? When did you get here?"

"About ten minuets ago. You got here awfully fast. I expected to be waiting for at least thirty more minuets," he said with a smile.

Rosette bowed her head in embarrassment and shuffled her feet. "Ah, well... that is..."

"You're right about that, Father Remington," Chrono said, setting his ammo box on the ground. "You would have been waiting for thirty minuets if Rosette had been obeying the speed limit."

"Chrono!" she shouted, hitting him over the head.

"Um, Father Remington?"

"Yes, Azmaria?"

"If you don't need us to exorcize a demon, then why are we here?"

"Yeah, that's what I'd like to know," Rosette said, rubbing her knuckles.

"The reason you are here," he said, "is because I need Chrono's opinion on something."

"My opinion?" the demon asked as he picked himself off the ground.

"Yes. It's this way, follow me." Father Remington led Chrono in the direction of the alley. "You two stay here," he told Rosette and Azmaria when they tried to follow him. "This is something you should not see." He quickly led Chrono away before Rosette could start to protest.

"Is it really that bad, Father?" Chrono asked when they reached the alley.

"It is. The worst I have ever seen."

Father Remington introduced Chrono to Captain Boxer and walked over to the tarp.

"I must warn you, Chrono, it's pretty bad. Are you ready?"

At Chrono's nod, Father Remington took a breath to steady himself then pulled the tarp back. For a long time nothing happened then he heard Chrono drop to his knees. The little demon had a look of pure horror in his face and his eyes were wide in disbelief with a trail of tears flowing from them. Unable to take it anymore, the demon squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away, placing his hands over his ears, as if trying to block out some unheard voices.

"Close it. For the love of God, please close it!" he begged.

Father Remington did as Chrono asked then knelt beside him. "Are you okay?"

"I heard her...," Chrono whispered.

"What?" Captain Boxer said.

"The girl," he continued, "I heard her as she died. My God, I could even see her as it happened. She... she was... ripped apart... and she was still alive when it happened."

"Son of a bitch!" Captain Boxer swore, kicking a nearby trashcan.

"Did you see who did it, Chrono?" Father Remington asked.

Chrono shook his head. "No. I didn't see anyone. It's like she was being pulled apart by some sort of unseen force. It didn't even have an Astral body."

"Is that even possible?"

"It... it... I don't even know." Chrono shakily got to his feet. "I have to get out of here. I have to get away from this."

"One more thing, Chrono," Father Remington quickly said. "These marks on the wall, do you know what they are?"

Chrono stopped and looked at the writing on the wall. He stepped closer and traced the markings with a finger, softly murmuring to himself. "This is," he said, "an ancient form of the demonic language."

Father Remington looked surprised. "There's such a thing?"

Chrono turned to look at him. "Why wouldn't there be?"

The priest helplessly shrugged. "I don't know. I just never thought about it before."

"The writings they use today are a more simplistic form of our ancient text. We simplified it so humans would be able to translate it and use it for summoning rituals. It's very rare to see the original text nowadays."

"Do you know what it says?" Captain Boxer asked after he had calmed down.

"I do."

Father Remington stared at Chrono in shock. "You can read it, Chrono? How?"

"I don't know. It's just something I've been able to do since I was a hatchling."

"Well, what in the bloody hell dose it say?" Captain Boxer said impatiently.

Chrono turned back to the wall. "It says, 'I summon thee forth, Crayak the Destroyer.' That's what is says, over and over again."

"Crayak the Destroyer? Who is this, Father? Some kind of demon?"

"I don't think so," Chrono interrupted. "I've never heard of a demon by that name. New or old."

Chrono turned and headed for the alley entrance.

"Where are you going, Chrono?" Father Remington called.

"I need to get away from this," he whispered. "Because if I don't, I'm going to start screaming and I might not be able to stop."

Giving each other a confused look, Father Remington and Captain Boxer caught up with Chrono and followed him out of the alley.

-----------------------------

As the trio left the alley, none of them noticed the ancient markings on the walls start to glow. Nor did they notice the soft wind that was being emitted from underneath the tarp.

-----------------------------

Rosette sighed in disappointment and holstered her Colt as Chrono and Father Remington disappeared into the alley.

"Well this just sucks," she huffed. "I came all the way down here to fight a demon and now I'm not even needed?" She leaned against the Order's car and crossed her arms. "This is so unfair."

As the minutes slowly passed by, Rosette started to become increasingly board. She started to pace back and forth, thinking it would somehow pass the time. Unfortunately all this did was somehow agitate her more.

(What the hell is taking them so long?) she silently fumed. (I swear, when Chrono gets out here, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!)

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, the trio walked out of the alley. Rosette cracked her knuckles and made a b-line straight for Chrono. She was ready to pound him into the ground when she saw the look on his face and stopped dead in her tracks.

Chrono looked absolutely sick.

His face was completely drained of color, leaving his skin an unhealthy ashen white. His eyes were staring straight ahead, not really focusing on anything. Rosette watched him as he slowly made his way to the car and practically collapsed against it, sliding down to the pavement.

"Chrono?" she whispered, walking over to him. "Chrono, are you okay? What's wrong?"

Chrono didn't say anything. Instead, he continued to stare at nothing in particular. At least, that's what Rosette was thinking until she followed the path of his gaze.

(He's staring at the alley?)

"Chrono?" she whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Chrono, why won't you say anything? What did you see?"

"It was horrible," he finally chocked out. "There was so much useless carnage." Chrono pulled himself into a ball and rested his head on his knees. "I can't get them out of my head. Her screams, the sight of her being ripped apart... they just won't stop."

Rosette stared at Chrono helplessly. Never before could she remember ever seeing her friend look so... so... she couldn't even think of a word that described the way he looked. Cursing her inability to say anything comforting to him, Rosette slowly wrapped her arms around Chrono's shaking form and pulled him to close to her.

Chrono leaned into Rosette's embrace, seeking any kind of comfort he could get. The images he saw would be burned into his soul forever. Never before had he felt such intense pleasure from a killing. Whoever, or WHATever, had killed the girl enjoyed every minute of it. Chrono shuddered. If he and Rosette didn't find this monster, and soon, there would be a lot more scenes like the one he just witnessed.

"You okay, Chrono?" Rosette whispered, her soft voiced penetrating the demons' thoughts.

"Yeah, I'll be alright."

(Just as soon as I get away from this place,) he silently added.

-----------------------------

Three hours later, Father Remington told Chrono that he and the two female exorcists could go back to the convent. Rosette couldn't have been happier.

"Finally," she said, "I was getting board just sitting here."

"Don't forget, Rosette, you have to write a report about our last mission for Sister Kate when we get back," Azmaria said as she loaded Chrono's ammo box into the backseat of the car.

Rosette groaned. "Don't remind me. And besides, it was Chrono's fault in the first place!"

"Speaking of Chrono, where is he?"

Rosette's features softened a bit. "He's over there by the alley. He hasn't moved from that spot for the past two and a half hours. He just keeps standing there and staring into it. I wish he would tell me what's upsetting him."

"Poor Chrono," Azmaria whispered. "He must have seen something truly horrible if it affected him this much."

"Yeah... It's not like him to be so quite."

Rosette watched the EMS workers file into the alley with a stretcher and a body-bag. Chrono paid them no mind as they brushed past him. She was about to yell for Chrono to hurry over to the car, when he turned around and started walking in her direction. Suddenly he stiffened and whirled around to face the alley again.

"NO!" he shouted. "Get away from there!"

That's when the screaming began.

-----------------------------

Chrono's mind was a jumble of chaotic thoughts as he watched the EMS members walk into the alley. As mixed-up and confused as his mind was at this point, the one thing that was standing out the most was the name that was written on the alley walls.

Chrono was sure that he had never heard the name 'Crayak' before. And yet, somehow, that named stirred something deep inside of him. Like a distant memory that he couldn't quite recall or a dream he couldn't, or wouldn't, remember. And his inability to remember, along with the images from earlier, was irritating him to no end.

(Why? Why? WHY? Why am I affected so much by that name? I've never heard it before and somehow it seems so... familiar. Why is that?)

Chrono shook his head in an effort to clear his thoughts. Father Remington told them it was okay to leave and he knew Rosette would be just itching to get back to the Order. Turning his back on the alley, he started to make his way over to Rosette and Azmaria.

Then he felt it.

It was an upwelling of evil energy so strong he nearly collapsed. The feelings of satisfaction of slaughter and the desire to cause more carnage returned tenfold. He yelled a warning to the EMS workers, but it was too late. Their screams pierced the silence that had settled over the area, grabbing the attention of everyone who was present. Captain Boxer and Father Remington dove to the ground when something came flying out of the alley and smashed into the patrol car they were standing next to.

Captain Boxer picked himself off the ground. "What the hell was that--? JESUS CHRIST!"

Father Remington got to his feet and had to restrain himself from saying the same thing. The objects that had hit the patrol car turned out to be the remains of the EMS workers. Their arms, legs and head had been ripped from their bodies and were scattered across the pavement like some sort of grotesque confetti. The torsos had been ripped open and the hearts were torn out.

Before anyone could react to the awful sight, Azmaria started to scream and pointed in the direction of the alley. All eyes turned to see what the young Apostle was pointing at. And all at once, everyone was yelling, cursing, drawing weapons, or doing all three at the same time.

"Oh... my... GOD!" Rosette yelled, drawing her Colt.

Chrono stared wide-eyed at the creature that had emerged from the alley. It was the girl. Or, at least, what was left of her. The arms, legs and head were floating in midair, resting at their corresponding places on a body. The heart floated in the middle of the space where the torso should have been, beating as if it was still alive. Blood from the EMS crew dripped from its hands and mouth. The 'thing' scanned the crowd, as if searching for something, finally bringing its red-eyed gaze to Chrono. The young girl's head smiled at him and it sent shivers down his spine.

"AH, CHRONO, WE MEET AGAIN."

Chrono's eyes widened even further and he had to resist the urge to break down and lose it right there in front of everyone. That voice... it was so familiar. And this presence, he knew it on a very intimate level, as if it was a part of him.

"Who... who are you?" he finally managed to yell. "How do you know me?"

The creature didn't bother to respond. It tuned away from Chrono and launched itself at the crowd of police officers.

"No!" he shouted. "Stay away from them!"

"What the hell are you waiting for you idiots? Open fire!" Captain Boxer yelled.

Gunfire erupted from the crowd as the creature closed in on them. Most of the shots missed due to the small targets and those that hit did nothing more than pass trough a limb, which immediately closed up. The crowd scattered when the monster got too close but some had not been so lucky. Chrono watched in horror as the monster ripped the captured officers apart, just as it had done to the girl.

Chrono felt the rage start to build inside of him. It threatened to overflow and completely consume him, like he had let it do once a long time ago. Chrono bit down on his lip so hard it drew blood, trying anything he could to keep himself from giving into his rage and breaking the Seal by accident. Satisfied that he wouldn't be losing control, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a vile of Holy Water he got from Azmaria.

"Get away from them!" he yelled, throwing the vile at the monster's head.

The vile shattered against the head... and did absolutely nothing.

There was no howl of pain, no sizzle of melting flesh, or burn marks from where the water touched the skin.

"Oh no..."

"Move, Chrono!" Rosette shouted, squeezing off a few rounds from her Colt. The little demon dove to the ground as the bullets sailed over his head. He looked up when he heard Rosette curse and saw the Sacred bullets impact a barrier, preventing them from hitting their target.

"STUPID GIRL," the creature hissed, turning its gaze towards her. "KNOW YOUR PLACE IN THIS UNIVERSE."

Rosette barely had time to react when on of the arms launched away from the 'body' and flew straight at her. A cold, clammy, blood-stained hand wrapped around her throat and pushed her back with such force that she slammed into the convent car, shattering the window and crushing the door frame.

"Rosette!" Chrono and Azmaria shouted.

The arm shot skyward, dragging Rosette with it, finally stopping several feet about the ground.

And then it let go.

-----------------------------

It took Rosette less than five seconds to fall, the impact with the roof of the car shattering glass and bending steel with a sickening metallic groan.

But to Chrono, it took much longer. Time seemed to slow down as she descended, arms flailing as if it would somehow slow her decent. With every second of the fall, Chrono could hear the slow tick of his pocket watch echo in his ears. When her body impacted with the car, the ticks became slower and fainter.

"Rosette!" Azmaria screeched, running to her side.

Chrono stayed rooted to the spot, not able to believe what he just saw. Very slowly his hands clenched into fists, his nails digging into his flesh. He could feel something bubbling inside of him, just below the surface of his skin. And the more he looked at Rosette's limp form, the more the feeling threatened to rise to the surface.

"Rosette... ROSETTE!"

He felt the rage swell up inside of him again. But this time, he couldn't stop it. He didn't want to stop it. This... this... THING... had dared to hurt Rosette... to touch what was his and his alone!

It would die for it.

The dam that was holding everything back burst open and his being was flooded with all the power that the Seal held in check. With a shriek of anger and rage, Chrono lost all control over himself.

-----------------------------

Chrono's inhuman scream shattered glass windows all around him and forced everyone to cover their ears. Dark energy erupted around the little demon's body and the ground beneath him began to shake and break apart. High speed winds picked up and started blowing debris all over the place, causing bystanders to duck for cover.

The Seal was trying to stop the enraged demon from transforming, but Chrono was pushing against it with all his might. His body began to change with the small amounts of power he was forcefully pulling through the Seal. He grew several inches taller and his hair braid transformed into his bone-like tail. His fangs and claws extended and his body began replacing his child-like features with that of his more mature form.

With a final howl, the Seal gave way and released all of Chrono's power, transforming him into his full demon form.

A bestial roar erupted from Chrono as he launched himself at the monster, only to slam into the barrier that surrounded it.

The creature smiled. "AH, HE IS BACK. THIS IS IT; THIS IS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR! WELCOME BACK! YES, WELCOME BACK, CHRONO! THE SON OF DESTRUCTION HAS RETURNED!"

Chrono's only response was to let loose another howl of rage and push against the monster's barrier harder. Finally the barrier shattered and Chrono grabbed the first thing he could get his hands on to.

It was the heart.

Grinning sadistically, he crushed the organ in his hand. The head looked at him for a moment before grinning. Its red eyes flickered slightly before extinguishing completely and the body parts dropped to the ground. Chrono stood over the body admiring his kill when he suddenly dropped to his knees, his hand clutching his chest. Moments later he was back in his child form, the Seal snatching away the power he had stolen from his Contractor.

Chrono shook his head and slowly got to his feet. (What happened? The last thing I remember is Rosette falling on the car... Oh no!)

"Rosette!"

Chrono quickly ran to her side and flinched. She looked like she was dead. The only evidence proving otherwise was her shallow breathing and the hand that clutched the still ticking pocket watch. He reached out to touch her and frowned in disgust when he saw that he was still clenching the heart in his fist. Throwing the organ aside, he wiped his hands on his shorts and cupped her face.

"Rosette," he whispered, "Rosette, are you okay?" Chrono let out the breath he had been holding when Rosette's eyes opened halfway.

"Chro... no...," she whispered, hissing though clenched teeth in pain.

"Don't say anything. I'm just happy to know you're okay." Jumping off the car, he ran over to Father Remington and Captain Boxer. "Father Remington, we need to get Rosette to a hospital right now. She's hurt bad."

Father Remington glanced over to the police captain, who nodded slightly. "Alright, lads, you heard the boy. Get the young lady to a hospital right now!"

Fetching the stretcher from the alley, the remaining EMS workers, quickly but carefully, loaded Rosette into the ambulance. Chrono tried to climb into the back with Rosette, but was stopped by a medic.

"Sorry, but you can't ride back here."

Chrono grabbed the medic by his coat and dragged him down so he was staring into his eyes. "Move," he said in an even tone. The medic complied with his demand. "Father Remington, please take Azmaria back to the convent. I'll catch up later." With that, the doors closed and the ambulance speed off down the street.

Father Remington watched the ambulance disappear then turned to Azmaria. "Well then, shall we go home?"

"But what about Rosette and Chrono?" she asked, tears in her eyes.

"I'll go and check on them after I report to Sister Kate. I'll let you know how Rosette is doing when I get back, okay."

Azmaria sniffed and nodded her head.

"Excuse me, Father Remington, but could I have a word with you?" Captain Boxer asked.

"Of course. Azmaria, wait in the car, this shouldn't take long." Azmaria nodded and ran off, leaving the priest alone with the captain. "Now, what is it you would like to talk about?"

Captain Boxer took a long drag off his cigarette. "Father, I'm normally a very patient and level-headed fellow. But sometimes I can lose my temper and fly completely off the handle at someone for the smallest of mistakes." He paused and took another drag. "I don't really know if it's the Irish blood in me or the Scottish. Maybe a little of both. So hopefully you won't be too offended when I ask you just WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT!"

Father Remington sighed and slumped his shoulders.

This was going to be a little tricky.

-----------------------------

Magdalan Order Headquarters, New York Branch

Chrono was exhausted. The past twenty-four hours had been spent at Rosette's side with little to no sleep whatsoever. His trip from the crime scene to the Magdalan Order was nothing but a big blur. They didn't even bother to stop at a hospital. He didn't know why, but at this point, he didn't really care. The only thing that was important to him at this moment was the woman he was sitting beside. He didn't even remember the doctors tell him of Rosette's condition all to well either. All he knew was that she had some broken ribs and her right arm was broken as well. Anything beyond that was forgotten.

"Chrono..."

Chrono looked away from Rosette's sleeping form to stare at Father Remington, who was leaning against the doorway to the infirmary.

"She hasn't woken up yet I see," he said, walking over to stand beside the demon. Chrono just nodded. "You really should get some sleep, Chrono. You're not doing Rosette any good by forcing yourself to stay awake like this."

"I know," he whispered, "but I... I just can't bring myself to leave her alone. Even for a little while."

Father Remington sighed. "You and Rosette both... you're so stubborn when it comes to each other." He turned to leave the room, pausing at the doorway. "You know... there are other ways for you to help Rosette. But the choice to do it is completely up to you."

The door softly closed, leaving Chrono alone with Rosette and his thoughts. The only sound in the whole room being that of his Contractor's shallow breathing and the soft ticks of the pocket watch.

"Other ways to help...," he whispered.

(That's a laugh. I've already tried to help, and look at what's happened. First I lost Magdalan, and now, I'm about to loose Rosette! And all because of that DAMN watch!)

Chrono sucked in a deep breath, realization hitting him full force in the face.

(Th-the watch! But... if I did that, then it would mean...) Chrono entered an inner battle with himself, weighing out the pros and cons of the choice he had before him. A soft moan made him turn his attention back to Rosette. (But... if it works... Rosette might...)

His decision made, Chrono snatched up the watch and headed for the exit. Casting one last glance at Rosette, he quietly closed the door and left.

-----------------------------

The air of the workshop/living quarters the Elder used was thick with the smell of gunpowder and cleaning oils as Chrono made his way inside. Mechanical parts and ancient tomes on demons and their powers were strewn all over the place, making the already cluttered workshop even more cluttered. Picking his way through the poorly lit room, Chrono finally found his way to the Elder's bedroom. He could hear the old man's snoring through the door and felt bad for what he was about to do, but, he need to do this now before he had a chance to change his mind.

Drawing in a deep breath, he raised is fist and pounded on the door. "Elder!" he shouted, mentally thanking God that the workshop was far enough away so no one could hear him. "Elder, wake up!"

Chrono pounded on the door for a few minutes more before it was finally yanked open, reviling the Elder in a rob.

"Who in the name of St. Peter woke me up?" When he didn't see anyone in front of him, the Elder looked down. "Chrono? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Chrono shifted uncomfortably. "Um... not really. But I really need to talk to you. It's important."

The Elder sighed at the pleading look on the demon's face. "All right m'boy, what do you need?"

Chrono's hands clenched on the pocket watch. "I... I need you to reverse the effects of the watch."

The old man blinked behind his red-tinted glasses. "Reverse the effects? Is that even possible? I thought it only worked one way."

Chrono shook his head. "Not like that. I'll still draw power from somewhere, but... it won't be from Rosette anymore. I'll get it from another source."

"Another source...? Chrono, no! You can't do that! We have no idea how doing that would affect you!"

"I don't care! Rosette... Rosette nearly died today... I drained her soul twice, Elder. Twice! In one day, too! I've never done that before. And I'm... I'm sick and tired of it! So tired of it... Please, Elder, if getting my power from this new source helps Rosette live a little longer, I'll gladly take the risk."

The Elder looked at Chrono, the demon's face set in grim determination. (He's really serious about doing this. But, I should have known. He'd do anything for her.)

"Alright, Chrono, I'll do it. If that's your final decision."

Chrono nodded once. "It is."

"Very well then," the Elder said, taking the watch. "It's been a long time since I last examined that watch of yours. Four years if I remember correctly." Walking to his workbench, the weapons developer turned on a light and opened the watch, exposing the gears on the inside. "I'm not really sure how long this will take me, Chrono. So I suggest that you get some sleep. I'll wake you when I'm done."

Chrono didn't even bother to try and protest. Walking over to a nearby wall, the demon propped himself against it and slid to the floor, falling asleep almost instantly.

Turning his gaze back to the watch, the Elder rummaged around in a nearby toolbox until he found what he was looking for.

"Alright then," he mumbled, "let's get to work."

-----------------------------

Joshua Christopher's Beach House

Aion paused in his reading to stare at Fiore. "I see, so he had another fit, did he?"

"Yes," the soft-spoken attendant said. "Lord Joshua's been having them more frequently and it's starting to worry me."

"Where is he now?"

Fiore glanced down the hall. "He's in the shower... drowning out the noise." She looked as if she were about to say more, but quickly stopped herself. This did not go unnoticed by Aion.

"What is it?"

"Forgive me, Lord Aion, it's just that... well, he's been screaming for his big sister again."

Aion waved his hand in a dismissing manner. "That's nothing new. He always screams for her whenever he has one of these fits. You've told me so yourself."

Fiore bit her lip. "Yes, but, this time it's different."

Aion raised an eyebrow. "Different how? The reason you're here is to be his 'big sister' and calm him down after one of these fits."

"It's different because he didn't ask for his 'big sister', he asked for Rosette specifically."

Aion looked mildly shocked. "He called her by name?"

"Yes. He even went as far as to ask me to go and look for her so I could bring her back and help stop the noise."

Aion's brow creased in worry. (This is a problem. I've been able to come this fare because I've had Joshua's complete cooperation. If he becomes more forceful in his request for his sister and decides to look for her on his own, then everything I've worked for will be in jeopardy.)

"How long does he usually stay in there?"

"Anywhere from thirty minuets to an hour, depending on how serious the fit is."

"I see...," Aion mumbled.

"Fiore... is that you? Did you find Rosette?" A new voice echoed from within the hallway, sounding extremely tired and hopeful at the same time.

Joshua Christopher stumbled into the room moments later, his body soaking wet. His pajamas and hair were plastered to his skin and Chrono's ivory-white horns protruded from underneath his light blond hair. Fiore could see that his eyes were a shade of dull grey -- an obvious sign of his 'madness' -- and not the bright ocean-blue that she was so used to seeing.

"Oh, Aion, I didn't know you were here," he said, once he noticed the demons' presence. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Not at all. Fiore and I were just talking about you. Tell me, how are you feeling? Does your head hurt anymore?"

Joshua shook his head. "No, not anymore. I was finally able to make the noise go away. I feel much better now. Would you like some coffee? I can have Fiore make us some."

Aion rose from his seat. "No, it's all right. I have to see Shader anyway." He walked by and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Try and get some sleep. You look exhausted." With that Aion disappeared down the hall and into Shader's basement laboratory.

A long silence settled between the two before Joshua finally broke it. "Fiore, did you find Rosette?"

Fiore bowed her head. "No, Lord Joshua, I did not. I'm sorry."

Joshua shook his head. "It's all right; I know you tried your best. Maybe you'll have better luck next time." Stretching his limbs, the teenager collapsed onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "Fiore," he whispered, "would you bring me a change of cloths and some blankets? I don't think my room will be serviceable for a while."

When he didn't hear the girl acknowledge him, he glanced out of the corner of his eye. She was still standing there with her head bowed and her hands folded in front of her. "Fiore?"

"Forgive me, Lord Joshua," she said, "but I will not allow you to sleep on the sofa. Please, use my room instead."

Joshua straightened up. "There's no need for that, my dear. I'll be perfectly fine right here."

"Out of the question," Fiore said sternly, her voice rising slightly.

Joshua was surprised. This was the first time he could ever remember Fiore raising her voice to him. Even if it was only slightly.

"You're not going to take no for an answer, are you, Fiore?"

Fiore shook her head.

Joshua chuckled. "All right, my dear, you win. I'll use your room until mine is fixed. Is that satisfactory?"

"It is. Thank you, Lord Joshua."

-----------------------------

"Very impressive, Shader."

"Isn't it though?" the cat demon said. "And it was all thanks to Joshua that I was able to come this far."

Aion smiled. "Yes, he has been most helpful to bringing us as close as we are to our dream. A world without a Heaven or a Hell. Where neither God nor Satan has any control over us and our desires are not considered a sin."

"And all we need now is the Apostle of Charity." Shader pouted, her cat ears drooping. "But unfortunately she's in the hands of Chrono and the Magdalan Order."

Aion stared up at the five cylinders that held the captured Apostles. His gaze then shifted to a heavy metal door that the head of Pandemonium was kept in. It finally came to rest on the holographic sphere that Shader's machine had created. All the pieces were in place for the Ceremony of Atonement, all that was left was to acquire the final piece and the puzzle would be complete.

"So why don't we go and get her?" Genai grumbled form the doorway. Viede stood behind him, quite as usual. "If everything's all set up, what's the point of just waiting here? Let's just go and get her!"

"Why the rush, Genai?" Aion asked. "We have all the time in the world to wait."

Genai ground his teeth in anger and smashed his fist into a nearby wall. "Because I'm tired of waiting, damn it! If you won't get her, Aion, then I will!"

The blind demon turned to leave the room, but was stopped by Viede's hulking mass. The demon only stared down at his fellow Sinner and said nothing.

"Move, Viede," Genai growled out. Viede shook his head once. "If you don't move right now," Genai said, bringing a threatening fist up between them, "then I'll move you myself. Either way, I'm going to New York to get the Apostle."

Genai visibly twitched when Shader stated to giggle behind him. "What the hell is so funny, Shader?"

"Oh, I just think it's really cute when you get mad, Genai, that's all. And you really shouldn't worry about getting the other Apostle anyway."

Jenai whirled around. "Why not?"

Shader shrugged. "Rizel went to New York to retrieve Joshua's sister, so it's more than likely that she'll bring the Apostle back with her."

"And you let her go alone?" Genai raged.

"She said she wanted to do this herself," Aion said calmly. "She's not a hatchling, Genai; she can take care of herself."

"Then you're not going to help her?"

"No, I'm not." Aion narrowed his eyes dangerously. "And neither are you."

Genai started to sweat. He knew that tone of voice and the look that usually went along with it. It was Aion's promise of pain and suffering to anyone who crossed him. Turning on his heal, Genai stalked out of the basement and into one of the empty spare bedrooms. He may have been stubborn and hot-headed, but there was one thing he had learned from his long life.

Never cross Aion.

As much respect as he had for his friend and fellow Sinner, he did not want to make him mad and end up like Chrono because he let his emotions get the better of him.

Transforming into his demon form, Genai proceeded to take his anger and frustration out on everything in the room.

-----------------------------

Shader flattened her ears to her head as the noise that Genai was making increased in volume.

"He sure is noisy, isn't he?"

Aion smirked. "He's always been like that. Genai prefers the direct approach to things rather than waiting and planning."

Shader sighed when she heard several breakable objects, well, break. "Poor Fi, she's going to have a big mess to clean up because of him."

"Never mind about that. How long will it take you to get ready when the last Apostle gets here?"

Shader smiled. "I could be ready to go in two minutes. That is, if Rizel succeeds."

"If she doesn't that will cause problems for us in the long run." The Sinner looked over his shoulder at Viede. "Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't leave."

The silent demon nodded and left.

Shader shut down her machine and smoothed out her hair. "So now what?"

Aion adjusted his glasses. "Now we simply wait. We'll base our next move on Rizel."

"Oooooooooh, I can't wait," Shader squealed. "Our dreams will be coming true so very soon! I'm so excited!"

Aion smirked to himself. (Sooner than you think, my dear Shader, sooner than you think.)

(End of Part One)

------------------------------

Author's Rant: Whew, there's the end of part one. Many thanks to those of you who took the time to read this little piece of work. I hope it was to your satisfaction.

Anyway, this is my first attempt at a Chrono Crusade fic, so, once again, your C&C is greatly appreciated.

Next chapter:

-- old friends reunite

-- Crayak has a little fun with his puppet

-- Chrono talks about his reason for joining Aion's rebellion

See ya next chapter.


	2. Changes

I do not own Chrono Crusade, it belongs to Daisuke Moriyama. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow.

This story takes place before the team leaves for San Francisco. After that it takes a sharp left into my own Alternate Universe. I will be using elements from both the Manga and Anime. Enjoy. C&C is appreciated.

Text Key:

() -- thoughts

'**Bold**'-- sound effects

_Speech_ -- Chrono/Demons in true form

-----------------------------

Black Sabbath

Part Two: Changes

By: Anime Otaku

-----------------------------

"_The winds of change are approaching fast. Will you spread your wings and let yourself be caught up in them? Or, will you plant your feet and resist their calling?"_

_-Aion the Sinner_

_----------------------------------_

Grand Central Station, New York, 1924

Duke Duffau, Commander of Hell's Pursuer Legion, grunted in annoyance as he stepped off the train. He was crushing down on the nearly irresistible urge to release some frustration by transforming and tearing every single human he could see to pieces.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," he grumbled, "Why are we even considering forming an alliance with them?"

"Because we need their help, Duffau." The Duke glanced at the man standing at his side. He was dressed in a dark business suit and rain coat. The only thing out of place was the pure white feather stuck in the brim of his hat. "And despite what you may think about them, humans can be rather smart and resourceful at times."

Duffau snorted. "I still say that my Pursuers could have found Aion if we had more time."

"Maybe so, but you've been searching for him for over fifty-four years and still haven't found him. And while I have complete faith in your abilities, I'm afraid that time is a luxury we do not have. This is why I am here."

"Then you're still going to meet him?"

"Of course. I didn't come all the way to the Great City of Babylon just to go sightseeing."

Duffau ground his teeth together. "I still can't believe that you're going to meet with HIM. Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

The man chuckled. "Don't worry. I've dealt with his kind before. Besides, you have a mission to do here, remember?"

The Duke nodded. "If you say so. But tell me something. Why couldn't I just wait in San Francisco like we originally planned?"

"Because something has changed. At least, that's what he told me anyway."

Duffau was shocked. "And you're TRUSTING him?" The man nodded. "Why?"

"Because he gains nothing by killing me prematurely. Plus, I've dealt with him many times before, so I'm not worried by this."

"Still..."

"I understand the position you're in, Duffau, but this is neither the time nor the place to be discussing this. Just make contact with the Magdalan Order and Chrono the Sinner as previously planned. I'll contact you if there is anything else I need."

"Alright then."

Stepping out into the drizzling rain, the Duke and his companion went their separate ways.

-----------------------------

Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, New York Harbor

"You're late."

Duffau's dark clothed companion smiled. "I did some sightseeing."

The dark man sat at the table and stared at the man who was already seated. He was dressed in all white, from his hat down to his shoes. The complete opposite of himself. His long blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail that reached just between his shoulder blades. His blue eyes narrowed as the dark man pulled a flask out of his coat pocket.

"What is that?" the blond man asked.

"Jack Daniel's," the dark man replied, taking a swig. "Want some?"

Blue eyes narrowed. "You know this country has a Prohibition in affect, don't you?"

"See, that's the problem with you, Gabriel, you're too uptight. You need to learn to loosen up a bit, when to bend the rules and, if necessary, when to completely destroy them."

"You're the last person in the world who should talk about 'bending' rules. And you shouldn't use my name like that," Gabriel said in a low tone.

The dark man stared at Gabriel, then said, "Gabriel, Gabriel, we've got Gabriel over here." Nobody seemed to notice him. "See no one cares. They're too caught up in their own petty lives to give a damn about anyone else's."

Gabriel looked away and scowled.

"So, let's get down to business. Why exactly did you call me here? It's got to be pretty damn important if you sent one of you're little messenger boys all the way to Hell just to find me."

"We have a problem."

The dark man snorted. "If you're talking about Aion, then you've wasted my time. I'm already working on that particular problem. Duffau and his Pursuers are taking steps to track him down and put an end to his little rebellion as we speak."

"No. It's not Aion, although he is certainly part of this problem."

"Well if it's not Aion, then what is it?" The dark man took another swig form his flask.

Gabriel looked around then leaned in close. "Crayak was able to slip past the Seal and escape his prison."

There was a sudden gasp then the dark man started hacking and coughing. "WHAT?" he finally shouted. "What do you mean he escaped from his prison?"

"Quite you fool! I mean what I said. It happened about three days ago. Somehow Crayak was able to temporally leave his prison."

"He... he's back in there, right?" There was a hint of fear in the dark man's voice.

Gabriel nodded. "He wasn't out very long. But it was long enough to make everyone worry."

He dark man sighed. "You're right, this is a problem. Is that the only reason you called me here?"

"No. But it is part of it. I'm also here to... form an alliance with you and you're Legion."

The dark man raised an eyebrow. "An alliance? You're asking me and my Legion to work along side the Angels?"

"Yes."

"What's in it for us?"

"You get to live a little while longer."

"You'll have to do better than that," the dark man snorted. "Me and my Legion are damned anyway, so why should we care?"

Gabriel's eyes widened. "You can't be serious! You know what will happen when Crayak gets out and we can't allow that!"

"Calm down, I was just pulling you leg. You know I'm gonna help you."

Gabriel scowled. "Can you please be serious for just two seconds?"

"Kill joy," the dark man muttered. "So tell me, how is Aion involved in all of this? The only ones in all of Hell who know about Crayak are myself and Pandemonium."

"We think he is the reason that the Seal has weakened."

"Explain."

Gabriel sighed. "When Aion took the head of Pandemonium, he not only killed the Queen of Hell, he insured the complete destruction of the Darkness. And without the Darkness to balance out the Light..."

"...Crayak now has the perfect opportunity to escape from his imprisonment," the dark man finished for him.

"Correct. In his bid for freedom, Aion has unknowingly insured the complete and total destruction of everything that you and God have created."

"So this is why you want an alliance. But why me? Why not the humans?"

"Because you've fought Crayak before, you know what he and his minions are capable of. And as much confidence as the Lord has in his children, they're just not strong enough to fight against him."

"I can see your point. All right, you have you're alliance. I'll tell Duffau about it. He may not like it, but he is still loyal to me, so I have nothing to worry about."

"I hope you're right. Remember, you thought Aion was loyal to you as well, and look at what happened."

The dark man snorted. "Don't remind me. And besides, Aion was special, him and his brother, so I wasn't really all that surprised when it happened. Now the only problem is setting it right." Putting his flask away, the dark man rose to his feet and reached for his hat. "Well if there's noting else, I'm gonna catch up with Duffau and let him know of our little agreement."

Gabriel's hand shot forward, capturing the man's wrist, preventing him from leaving. "Wait a second," he whispered.

"What?" the dark man snapped in annoyance.

"Do you ever regret it? The decision you made?"

The dark man stared into Gabriel's eyes for a split second before jerking his hand away and putting his hat on. "No," he snapped. "Not for an instant." And then he walked away.

-----------------------------

Gabriel watched the dark man walk away from him and let out a sigh. It was done. He had successfully entered into an alliance with the one person he had once considered his brother. The one person who had taken his trust and completely thrown it out the window.

The Fallen Angel, Lucifer.

Although this meant that the Legion would have to split their forces, he was sure that it wouldn't be a problem. Duffau and his Pursuers would help the humans track down and eliminate Aion while he and Lucifer kept a close watch on Crayak's Seal. Hopefully the incident that happened a few days ago would only be a small fluke. But in case it wasn't, he would take the necessary precautions to keep the humans from finding out about Crayak.

(No more mistakes,) he promised himself. (The humans have survived on this world for over a thousand years. I will not let Crayak destroy what they have created.)

Rising from the table, Gabriel looked out the window across the New York skyline. So much was at stake now. If the alliance with the Devil Legion somehow backfired in everyone's faces, then there would be no stopping the return of Crayak, and the cycle of creation and destruction that he and God had been playing for eons would begin again.

For the first time that Gabriel could remember since his 'birth', the Children of God have been able to live their lives without the constant threat of Crayak wiping them out after the first hundred years. It tore at his being to remember the countless times that he and his Seraphim warriors could do noting to stop Crayak from destroying everything that the Father created time and time again.

But not this time. While destroying him was completely out of the question, Gabriel would do everything in his power to make sure that he was sealed for all eternity and that he stayed that way.

-----------------------------

Magdalan Order Headquarters, New York Branch

The soft '**click**' of the closing pocket watch echoed throughout the workshop, rousing Chrono form the lulls of sleep. The little demon rubbed his eyes, trying to bring his world into focus.

"Elder?"

"Ah, Chrono m'boy, good evening."

"Evening...?" Chrono looked out the window, seeing the sun setting in the western sky. "How long was I asleep?"

The Elder shrugged. "About three days... give or take a few hours."

"Three days?" Chrono shot up from his sitting position, ignoring the pain in his neck as his mussels cramped. "You mean to tell me you've been trying to fix that watch for three days straight?"

The Elder snorted. "Of course not, just who do you think I am? The first thing I did was catch up on my sleep. I made the changes to the watch on the second day and have been doing some preventive maintenance on it since I woke up this morning. The thing was in pretty bad shape. You really should take better care of it you know."

Chrono stared at him in shock. "So, you fixed it?"

"Of course I did. It wasn't that complex once I got the machinations down. Here, see for yourself."

Chrono took the watch from the Elder's outstretched hand. "It's still ticking."

"And it will continue to do so until the Seal is broken." The Elder paused for a moment then said, "Chrono, you need to understand something, the Contract between Rosette and yourself will last as long as you keep drawing power from her, hence the ticking of the watch. However, when you begin to draw upon this new power, the Contract will be broken. You do realize this?"

Chrono tightened his hold on the watch. "I do."

"And you'll go through with it anyway?"

"I will. I'm not going to leave Rosette just because our Contract is broken. I never needed it to stay by her side in the first place."

The Elder nodded. "Alright. Just be careful, we don't know how drawing on this power will affect you."

Chrono smiled. "Thank you, Elder, I'll be okay. Well, I better get this back to Rosette. I'd hate to think what would happen if she woke up and found it missing." With that, Chrono ran out of the Elders workshop.

The Elder watched Chrono as he ran back towards the infirmary, and to Rosette.

(You're taking a very dangerous risk, Chrono m'boy. I just hope you're making the right choice.)

-----------------------------

Chrono silently entered the infirmary, careful not to wake the sleeping Sister as she snored lightly in her bed. He placed the watch back on the bedside table and pulled a chair up to the bed. He took her uninjured hand in his own and gave it a little squeeze.

"No more, Rosette," he softly whispered. "I'm not going to cause you pain anymore. I just hope you will forgive me for the way I'm doing it."

Chrono was surprised when she squeezed back and murmured out a sleepy, "...forgive you, Chrono..."

The demon smiled. He had expected her to say something like that. (Asleep or awake, Rosette will always be Rosette.)

Almost involuntary, Chrono's eyes returned to the pocket watch. For as long as he had known her, Chrono had come to expect a few things from his Contractor. He expected her to drive like Barney Oldfield when she got behind the wheel of a car. He expected her to shovel down her food whenever she ate. And he expected for her moods to change at the drop of a hat.

But, not matter what -- no matter what he did, or what he said -- he always, ALWAYS, expected for Rosette to forgive him. And she always did... sooner or later... depending on her moods...

"But I wonder," he whispered again, running his fingers through her bangs, "am I expecting too much from you this time, Rosette?"

Unable to keep his eyes open any longer, Chrono let sleep overtake him and slumped forward, his head resting on his Contractor's bed.

-----------------------------

It was cold. Freezing cold. And he said just as much.

He looked down and watched as the ice slowly worked its way up his nude body and over his tattered wings. He tried to move, but found his movements restrained by chains that held his wrists and disappeared into the surrounding blackness.

_(I'm going to freeze...)_

_"Sinner..."_

A voice. A voice he recognized.

_"...Aion...?"_

_"So they call us, Sinners...?"_

_"Is that you, Aion...?"_

_"Makes you laugh, huh?"_

_"Where... where are you?"_

_"You seemed afraid to have learned the truth."_

The darkness thinned out in front of him. Aion was there, sitting upon a hill of bones.

Demon bones. Hundreds of them.

A woman was clutched to his side. She seemed oddly familiar to him. Aion smiled down at him, his wings fanning out behind him.

_"You're different... Chrono."_

His smile widened.

_"Let's go."_

Chrono looked confused.

_"Go where?"_

Aion held his hand out to him.

_"To a world where we can be free."_

Chrono looked at Aion's hand, wanting to take it.

_(It's so cold here. If I take his hand... will I... feel better?)_

Fighting against the ice on his body and the restraints, Chrono finally got his arm to move and reached for Aion's outstretched hand.

Light. Blinding, white-hot, beautiful light suddenly erupted behind him. Its warmth penetrated the cold darkness and melted the ice from his body, but he ignored it. His hand was almost in Aion's.

"Don't do it, Chrono..."

Another voice. This one also familiar. But it was different from Aion's. It filled him with warmth and another sensation he couldn't describe.

Amber eyes widened as slender arms wrapped around his midsection and a female body was pressed against his back, the head resting between his wings. The feeling of their naked flesh touching sent shivers down his spine and a tingling sensation throughout his entire body.

His eyes softened.

_(This soothing warmth...)_

_"Yeah... Yeah, you're right."_

_(This is...)_

-----------------------------

"Mmmm..."

Chrono slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurred and fuzzy. Blinking a few times, he finally got them to focus and found himself staring up a white ceiling.

(Huh? I'm still in the infirmary? ...oh yeah, now I remember. I fell asleep next to Rosette. But, how did I end up on my back? And why do I feel so warm?)

As Chrono tried to figure out how he ended up where he ended up, a hand reached out and took some of his hair between its fingers. Chrono stiffened slightly but did nothing to stop the probing fingers as they found their way to his cheek. The fingers traced their way up his cheek until they came to rest right behind his ear, and started to rub.

Chrono's eyes went wide momentarily then started to slowly shut. All other coherent thoughts left his mind as the relaxing sensations spread throughout his body. He eventually became completely limp and tilted his head further to the side to allow whoever was doing this to him easer access.

Chrono heard the person giggle softly, but ignored it, instead scooting closer to the source of the warmth. As the ministrations continued, he suddenly let out a soft noise from the back of his throat that sounded like a purr. Another giggle and an increase in the pace was his reward.

He was drifting again. The almost sinfully pleasurable feelings were threatening to send him back into the lulls of sleep and he found that it was becoming harder to resist their calling.

Suddenly the hand was removed and the feelings stopped. Chrono whined in protest. It had felt so GOOD. Who on earth could have been so cruel?

"Come on, Chrono, get up. My legs are starting to go numb."

Chrono's eyes snapped open. That sounded like... Rosette! Of course it would have been her. She was the ONLY person who knows about his 'weak spot'. His eyes traveled upward until they came to rest on his Contractor's face. He was slightly surprised to see her smiling.

"Morning," she whispered.

"Rosette..." Chrono suddenly realized the position he was in and quickly sat up. "Sorry 'bout that."

"It's Jake. You looked like you were having a bad dream when I woke up, so I tried to help you out a little."

(I see... So that warmth was...)

Chrono smiled. "Thank you, Rosette. I feel better now."

Rosette's cheeks turned slightly pink. "You're welcome."

An uncomfortable silence settled over the two until it was broken by a low grumbling noise.

Rosette's cheeks turned a deeper shad of pink. "Hehe, guess I'm a little hungry."

Chrono chuckled "Not surprising. You were asleep for about four days straight."

Rosette's eyes widened. "Four days? Hump, I wish Sister Kate would let me sleep like that on a regular basis."

Chrono's laugh was cut short by another growl from Rosette's stomach.

"I'll get you something to eat." Chrono rose from the bed and stopped at the doorway. "Rosette," he softly whispered, "I'm sorry."

Rosette blinked her eyes. "For what?"

"For loosing control and breaking the Seal. Because I let my anger get the best of me again, I've taken more of your life away from you. I'm... sorry."

Rosette could hear the self-loathing in his voice, but he left the room before she could say anything.

Blowing out her cheeks in annoyance, Rosette reached over and picked up the ticking pocket watch and held it close to her chest.

"Chrono you big dummy," she whispered. "I don't care that you forced open the Seal. You did it to protect me." Her grip on the watch tightened. "And I'm happy because that shows me how much you care."

-----------------------------

Three weeks later...

Duffau tapped his finger against the glass of the phone booth impatiently as he waited for his call to connect. He hadn't been in contact with his Lord since he had arrived in New York and he felt it was time for an update in his progress. Unfortunately the only thing he could report on was his failure to do what he was supposed to do.

(I'll be lucky to escape with my head still attached to my shoulders after this conversation,) he thought sourly. (And that's only if he's in a good mood.)

The call finally connected. 'Hello?'

"My Lord, it's me."

'Ah, Duffau, good to hear from you. Tell me, how has the negotiations with the Magdalan Order gone? From your lack of communications with me, I can only guess that they haven't been well.'

Duffau steadied himself. Here it goes. "Actually, my Lord, I haven't been in contact with the Order at all."

There was silence on the other end of the line. The longer it lasted the more Duffau began to sweat.

'And why is that, Duffau?'

Duffau twitched. His master may have sounded calm, but he knew better. If his excuse wasn't a good one, his Lord would have his head on a silver platter.

"I got sidetracked."

'For three weeks?' Lucifer asked.

"I was tracking a Sinner."

'A Sinner? Really? Which one?'

He sounded interested. That was a good sign.

"The one they call the Puppet Master."

'Ah, you're talking about Rizel. What's she doing in New York?'

"Don't know. Her movements were extremely erratic. She seemed to be moving all over the city, as if she was searching for something. I think she was also aware that I was following her."

'What happened?'

Duffau sighed. "She disappeared. Where to, I don't know. But whatever she was looking for, she must have found it."

'It seems that Aion is making his move. Duffau, don't waste anymore time. Get to the Order now and find Chrono.'

"Yes sir. I'll have two of my best Pursers try and find Rizel."

'All right, contact me when you have an answer from them. Oh, and, Duffau?'

"Yes, my Lord?"

I've entered into an alliance with Gabriel and his Angels, so until further notice, I want no more battles between your Legion and them.'

Duffau was disconnected before he could even say anything. He stood there in shock for a few minutes, the dial tone echoing in his ear. Finally he sat the receiver back on the cradle. He calmly walked out of the booth and down the street, his mind going a mile a minute.

(An alliance... between the Angels... and my Legion...?)

Duffau stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "WHAT IN THE HELL IS HE THINKING?" he roared, ignoring the looks that bystanders were giving him.

He stalked off again in the direction of the Magdalan Order. "This is by far the most insane thing that he has ever done. It's a disaster just waiting to happen, I can feel it." He sighed. "But I am loyal to him and I will not betray him like Aion and his Sinners did."

(But I don't know how many more of these surprise alliances I can stomach.)

-----------------------------

Magdalan Order Headquarters, New York Branch

Loud slurping noises could be heard coming from the infirmary as they bounced off the stone walls of the convent. Chrono peeked over the book he was reading -- which, ironically, happened to be the novel _Foust_ -- and watched as his bed-ridden Contractor ate her food at her normal pace. Meaning she inhaled everything she could grab at one time.

The noise finally stopped and Rosette flopped back on her pillow, sighing in contentment as one of her fellow Sisters took her tray away. "This is so Jake. I could get used to being waited on hand and foot like this. Maybe I should get injured more often."

Chrono looked up from his book to stare at his Contractor in shock. "You can't be serious!"

Rosette noticed the look on her partner's face and decided to have a little fun at his expense.

"Sure, why not? I mean think about it. If I'm on bed-rest all the time, Sister Kate can't yell at me for destroying anything anymore. I'd be getting three square meals a day and all the sleep I could ever want. Yep, I would defiantly be living the life."

Chrono stared at Rosette, flabbergasted. His mouth opened and closed several times, making him look like a fish out of water.

"R-R-Rosette!" he stammered. "You're joking about this, right?"

Rosette tried to keep a straight face, she really did, but it was hared to do when she looked at Chrono. Finally she couldn't take it anymore and broke down into a fit of giggles. When he realized that he had been taken for a fool, Chrono puffed out his cheeks in a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment. When Rosette was finally able to catch her breath and she looked at him again, she couldn't help herself. His facial expression sent her into a whole new round of laughter, tears coming to her eyes.

"You think it's so funny, don't you?" he asked, releasing the air.

"Oh, Chrono, I don't THINK it's funny! It IS funny!"

Calmly putting his book down, Chrono crossed the room in three steps, standing at the foot of Rosette's bed, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "Really? You think it's funny?"

"I do," she said, calming down a bit.

Chrono suddenly pounced, pinning Rosette's hands above her head with one hand and straddling her hips, careful not to bump her still healing ribs. She wriggled beneath him, trying to break his hold on her. But even with her arm completely healed, he was still much stronger than she was. Smiling down at her, Chrono brought his free hand in between them and wiggled his fingers.

Rosette's eyes went wide. "Chrono, no! Don't you DARE! I swear, Chrono, if you even THINK about doing that, I'll--!"

"You'll what?" he said huskily, running his fingers lightly down his Contractor's side, causing her to squirm. He leaned in close, their noses nearly touching, his hot breath fanning her lips. "What will you do, Rosette? From what I see, I'm the one in control, not you."

Rosette flushed deep red. What the hell was going on? What was Chrono doing? This wasn't like him at all! He had never been this bold before. Or this... dominating. She squirmed again when Chrono slipped his hand under the hem of her nightgown, tracing his finger across her stomach and up her side again, forcing the nightgown up with his hand, exposing Rosette's flesh to the cool morning air.

Rosette sucked in a deep breath when Chrono moved his head to one of her ears and took the lobe into his mouth and sucked on it, then nipped it gently.

"Mine...," his hissed into the appendage. He then moved his lips to hover just above hers. "...mine...," he hissed again, nipping at her bottom lip. He moved to the other ear, giving it the same affection as the last one. "...mine..."

His fingers moved across Rosette's skin, tracing the lower curves of her breasts that the nightgown failed to cover. "Mine," he said again. His fingers then traced their way down to her stomach, nails lightly digging into the skin, causing Rosette to shiver in pleasure under him. His fingers stopped just above the hem of her bloomers.

"MINE," he growled out possessively, moving away from the ear to look her in the eyes.

Rosette's eyes widened in shock. Chrono's eyes had gone from their normal maroon color to a bright, demonic shade of lust-red. She tried struggling free once again, only to have Chrono press down on her wrists harder, stopping her movements.

"NO!" he growled. "Mine! Mine and no one else's! All mine," he finished in a whisper. "Forever."

Rosette closed her eyes and waited in half anticipation, half fear, as Chrono's free hand slipped slowly into her bloomers, softly stroking her inner thigh, making its way to her center.

His advances were interrupted when the door suddenly flew open and Azmaria skipped inside, a big smile on her face.

"Rosette, guess what? Someone's here to see yo--! Eeep!" Azmaria skidded to a stop and turned beet red when she saw the position that Chrono and Rosette were in.

"Azmaria? What's wrong, limpkin?" Satella strode in behind Azmaria, but stopped cold when she, also, saw the position that Chrono and Rosette where in. "What in hell is going on here?"

Raising her voice was not the smartest thing that Satella could have done at the moment. It had the unfortunate affect of catching Chrono's attention, which had been totally focused on Rosette up to that moment. Snapping his head up, the demon growled deep in his throat and bared his fangs at the women. Azmaria squealed in surprise and fell on her rear, tripping over her convent uniform. Satella simply stood her ground, staring at the two in shock.

"NO!" Chrono hissed out. "You can't have her! She's MINE!"

Satella recovered her wits, somewhat anyway, and took a step forward, saying the first thing that came to her mind. "Chrono, what are you doing?"

At the German woman's small advance, Chrono gnashed his teeth and his body tensed up, as if he was getting ready to attack the woman. Azmaria whimpered in fear and scooted back until she was pressed against the wall. Chrono kept his eyes on Satella, his mind writing Azmaria off as a less than serious threat.

The two continued their standoff, the entire room having gone quite, each occupant afraid that the slightest noise might set Chrono off in some way. Satella briefly wondered if she was going to have to summon a jewel monster in order to subdue the demon.

(I don't like the idea of doing it in such a closed in area. I could end up hurting Rosette or Azmaria in the process.) Her eyebrows furrowed. (But, if he decides to attack, I won't have much of a choice.)

Satella was pulled from her thoughts when Chrono suddenly let out a noise that sounded like something in between a moan and a whimper. Her eyes widened when the color of Chrono's eyes started to change. They began to rapidly shift from the demonic-red to his normal maroon. His hands came up to clutch his head and he began muttering inaudible words that no one could make out.

"Chrono...?" Rosette's voice was soft, barely above a whisper. But in the silence of the room, she might as well have shouted.

The demon's attention was brought back to his Contractor. Maroon eyes widened at the sight of her. Her wrists crossed above her head and nightgown pushed halfway up her body. A wave of emotions flashed through his mind: fear, denial, sorrow, and a feeling of self-loathing so intense he could feel himself drowning in it.

Chrono flung himself away from Rosette as if he had been burned by Holy Water. He backed away until he was against the wall and even then he still tried to get further away from her. Rosette slowly sat up, showing off her flesh to Chrono again before it was covered by the nightgown. His eyes flashed red and he squeezed them shut, grabbing his head.

"Stop it," he whimpered. "I won't do that! I WON'T!"

"Chrono, are you all right?" Azmaria timidly asked, peeking out from behind Satella. Chrono turned his red-eyed gaze in her direction and she let out a squeak, ducking behind Satella again.

A shudder rippled throughout his body and before anyone could say anything else, Chrono suddenly bolted from the room, leaving behind three very confused women.

-----------------------------

In his shapeless prison, Crayak the Destroyer smiled to himself, rather pleased with the results of his little experiment on Chrono.

(SO, MY LITTLE PUPPET, IT APPEARS THAT SOME OF YOUR STRINGS ARE STILL ATTACHED. EXCELLENT!)

The entity watched, amused, as the demon ran from the infirmary and across the convent grounds, stumbling a few times, only to pick himself up and run faster. He finally reached the Elder's workshop and collapsed to his knees, his nails digging into his scalp until blood flowed down both sides of his face, dripping off his chin to splatter on the stone floor.

(SO, CHRONO, TRYING TO IGNORE YOUR INSTINCTS BY FOCUSING ON THE PAIN YOU INVOKE ON YOURSELF?) Crayak snorted. (PATHETIC! WHAT KIND OF DEMON FIGHTS AGAINST THE VERY INSTINCTS THAT HE WAS BORNE WITH?)

Crayak's musings were interrupted when Chrono screamed in agony, falling to his side and clutching his chest. The demon had ripped the front of his shirt open and dumped a vile of Holy Water on himself. Crayak watched as the affected skin started to hiss and sizzle, causing small puffs of white smoke to rise from his body.

(HMMMM, I THINK THAT'S ENOUGH FOR TODAY, MY LITTLE PUPPET. I CAN'T HAVE YOU INJURING THAT BODY OF YOURS TOO SEVERELY.)

With that, Crayak released his hold over Chrono, his conciseness slipping back into his prison.

(THE STAGE HAS BEEN SET. ALL THAT'S LEFT IS FOR THE CURTIN TO RISE AND FOR THE ACTORS TO PLAY THEIR PARTS.)

-----------------------------

"Ewan, get in here right now! I need your help!"

It was a rare thing in the Magdalan Order to hear the Elder yelling -- perverted glee not counting -- or talk seriously for more than ten seconds. So when Father Remington heard him screaming for him, he immediately knew that something was wrong. But until he came in and found the Elder kneeling next to a badly injured Chrono, he didn't know how dire the situation was.

"Chrono...? What happened to him, Elder?"

"Fool splashed himself with Holy Water." The Elder picked up Chrono's limp body and took him to his room, lying him down on his cot. "Bring me my First-Aid Kit, Ewan," he said, removing the demon's coat and shirt.

The priest returned moments later with the medical supplies and, with the help of the Elder, wiped the last of the Holy Water off of Chrono's body and wrapped his injured head and chest. As the Elder was tying off the last bandage on his chest, he accidentally tied it too tight, causing Chrono to hiss in pain, his eyes fluttering open.

"Wha...?"

"Ah, Chrono m'boy, welcome back."

"Elder? What are you doing here? I thought you were away on business?"

"Er..." The Elder glanced at Father Remington who slightly shook his head. "I, uh, that is to say, I was... but I just got back. And a good thing I did, too. If I hadn't found you when I did, you would be dead by now. What on earth possessed you to do such a foolish thing to yourself?"

Chrono looked between the Elder and Father Remington and turned his head away in shame. "Something... activated my Legion."

The Elder blinked. (Well that was different. I at least expected him to try and lie his way out of this.)

"Activated your Legion?" Father Remington questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Chrono nodded and lifted himself into a sitting position, gritting his teeth in pain. "Yes. Or, to be more specific, a special type of Legion."

The Elder mouth dropped open in shock. "There's a different type of Legion? I never knew about that, and I've been studying the workings of demons for fifty years!"

"That's not surprising. What makes these Legions different is not their physical appearance, but what their function is."

Father Remington cast a worried glance at the Elder before asking, "And what is their function, Chrono?"

Chrono's cheeks turned slightly pink and his hands began fidgeting with the bed sheets. "Well..."

Father Remington and the Elder leaned in close, intense looks of interest on both their faces. "Hmmmm?"

Chrono sighed. (Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?)

"You two might want to sit down, this might take a..."

Father Remington and the Elder seemed to pull two chairs out of nowhere and promptly sat down.

"...while." Chrono blinked. "Ahem. All right then. As you already know demons, like humans, are also composed of millions of microscopic mechanisms, which you call 'Legion'. The basic function of every Legion is to heal wounds and repair any damage to the body sustained in battle. They also prevent demons from catching a normal human sickness. All this is possible because of the constant flow of Astral energy that a demon absorbs through his horns. But without horns, a demon's Legion are no better than regular human cells. Are you with me so far?"

The Elder and Father Remington both nodded.

"Okay. Now, as for the special Legion, they... well they..." By now Chrono was red in the face and the two men were leaning closer to him, hanging on his every word like Rosette and Joshua used to do when he told them a story. Taking a deep breath, Chrono blurted out, "Theymakeitpossiblefordemonstomatewithfemales!"

Two pairs of unblinking eyes stared back at Chrono as a gust of wind blew through his window and birds chirped loudly outside.

"...Pardon?"

"...Say again?"

Chrono groaned at the blank stares they were giving him. Steadying himself, he repeated, "I said, they make it possible for demons to mate with females."

He watched as the information was processed and realization dawned on their faces, the lightbulbs finally clicking on in their heads.

Father Remington's face remained neutral while the Elder uttered a low, "Oooooh... And how does it...?"

"I was just getting to that," Chrono said, quickly. "The only way you are going to understand this is if I tell you about the way breeding is done in Pandemonium, so bear with me."

Chrono took a few seconds to gather his thoughts then began to speak.

"In order to keep up her constant defiance against God and his Angels, Pandemonium created a breeding system that would allow her to produce only the strongest of demons. Think of it as a sort of tournament which begins when a generation of demons reaches its first centennial. First are the females. Pandemonium will choose only one hundred of her strongest females to be Breeders. They'll be chosen in a trial by combat. The current generation will fight the last generation's champions and attempt to take their place. The ones that are left alive are declared as the new Breeders. Are you still following me?"

Again, Father Remington and the Elder nodded. Chrono noticed that the Elder had a notebook out and was quickly scribbling down notes. He didn't even want to think what the Elder would do with this kind of information.

"Alright. Next are the males. This is where the special Legion come into play and where things get a lot more dangerous. Until their first centennial, a male demon can not, I repeat, can NOT successfully mate with a female demon. Meaning he will not be able to produce offspring. This is all thanks to Pandemonium, because it is by her will alone that these Legions can be activated."

The Elder paused in his note taking. "So what you're saying is, unless Pandemonium unlocks these special Legions, a demon can't mate with any females?"

"In a nutshell, yes."

"Oh, that's just HORRIBLE!" the Elder wailed, tears streaming down both cheeks.

Chrono and Father Remington stared at him. "Huh?"

"To think that a young, healthy lad, such as yourself, can't enter the throws of lustful passion with a female until his first century comes to past is just CRUEL!"

Chrono turned beet red when he realized what the Elder was talking about and stammered, "N-n-no! That's not what I... Well, what I meant to say was... Uh..."

Father Remington got the Elder to sit down and said, "Please, Chrono, continue."

"Thanks. The way I meant for it to come out was like this: if a demon begins lusting after a female before the centennial, he can mate with her and find release in her, but it won't matter. Unless his Legions have been activated by Pandemonium herself, he will not produce any offspring from the female. Does that explain it better?"

The Elder relaxed into his seat. "Yes, it does. Lord, Chrono, don't scare me like that.

"You mentioned things becoming dangerous. What did you mean by that?" Father Remington asked.

"When the Breeders are chosen they release a sent. At the same time, Pandemonium activates the Legion in the males. When the males pick up the Breeder's sent, all coherent and rational thoughts disappear and they become completely controlled by their Legion, by their instincts. When this happens a demon will do whatever it takes to find that female and mate with her. This includes killing their own brethren. Sometimes an entire generation can almost be completely wiped out."

Chrono shuddered slightly, but continued to talk.

"After the competition is taken care of, the one hundred males left standing mate with the Breeders. The offspring that are borne will be trained as members of the Royal Guard -- what we now call the Pursuers." Chrono paused in his explanation, wondering if he should continue. He had already explained the purpose of the special Legion, but by the looks the two were giving him, he knew that they wanted to hear all of it. Up to the very end. So what choice did he have?

"So what happens to the last one hundred males that are left?" Father Remington asked.

Chrono said, "I was... just getting to that. After the last of the males finish mating, there are two more battles they must fight and both of them have the same goal: the right to mate with Pandemonium herself and create the next generation of demons. First they fight each other until one is left standing. That one last demon then has to fight his father."

"Father?" the two men coursed.

Chrono scratched his head, careful to avoid his injuries. Okay, maybe that wasn't the best way to word it, but he couldn't think of any other way to do so. "In a sense, yes. To be more specific, he has to fight the champion from the last generation. If he wins, he mates with Pandemonium and waits for the next mating period to defend his right to mate with her again."

"And if the loses?" the Elder asked.

Chrono shrugged his shoulders. "He's killed. The 'father' -- for lack of a better word -- mates with Pandemonium and the whole cycle starts all over again after the next hundred years."

The Elder finished writing in his notebook and looked up at Chrono. "And that's all?"

Chrono nodded. "Yes, that's all."

"How do you know all of this, Chrono?" Father Remington asked. "Did you ever participate in...?"

"No!" he shouted. The two men jumped at his sudden outburst and he tried to calm himself down. "No, I've never mated before," he said softly. "Aion and I rebelled against Pandemonium before we were old enough to mate."

The Elder was confused. "Then how do you know all of this?"

Chrono's grip on the sheets tightened. "He showed me once. When he was telling me of his dream and was trying to convince me to follow him. I was reluctant at first, content on with the way I was living in Pandemonium. But then..."

"But then what?"

"But then I saw the true ugliness of living in Pandemonium."

-----------------------------

Aion and Chrono crouched low in the darkness as they watched their Mother assemble her female Breeders. Chrono began to fidget and play with his waist-long hair, a sign of his nervousness that Aion knew all to well.

"Relax, Brother," Aion said, putting a calming hand on Chrono's shoulder, "everything will be alright."

"I hope so, Aion. If Mother finds us here, she'll kill us. Only members of the Royal Guard and those about to breed are allowed down here."

Aion smirked. "Don't worry. Mother will be too preoccupied with her Breeders to even notice our presence here. Trust me."

"And how do you know this?"

Aion's smirk became a full blown grin. "Because I've done this before."

Chrono's amber eyes widened in shock. "How? You and I were borne of the same generation! You shouldn't have been able to witness that! We shouldn't even be able to see what you claim will happen here soon."

"Oh, but I did and we will. Mother doesn't just mate every hundred years. She spreads the mating seasons out. Not all of our brethren are the same 'age', Chrono. Some have their first centennial not long after a mating session takes place. I saw my first one a year after my birth. And during the course of my life, I have seen many more. And all of them have made me feel the same way every time."

"How was that?"

Aion's smile turned into a snarl. "Disgusted!" he spat out. "Completely and utterly revolted. Never in my life have I ever been so ashamed to be a demon than when a mass mating session is triggered."

"But why? How could the creation of our new brothers and sisters be so revolting to you?"

Aion turned his eyes back to the Queen's Chamber. "You'll see soon enough, Brother."

The two demons settled back into the darkness, each lost in their own thoughts. After hours of waiting -- during which Chrono had fallen asleep -- the event that Aion had been waiting for was about to begin.

Aion reached over and shook him. "Brother, Brother, wake up. It's time."

"Huh? What are you talking abou...?" Chrono trailed off when he sniffed the air, catching a scent that was somehow sweet and tangy at the same time. The scent triggered something inside of him. It was a feeling that tickled his entire body, from his horns down to his feet. The sensation was very small -- it could easily be ignored, no problem there. But, because it was something new to Chrono, something that he had never felt before, it scared him. And the fear showed in his voice.

"A-Aion? What is this? What is this that I'm feeling? What's wrong with me?" Chrono's entire body was shaking. The large rock that he had had been leaning against turned to dust when his hands clenched into fists.

"This," Aion said, "is what's known as lust, my dear Brother. The Breeders have let loose there scent. Soon it will reach the other males and then it will begin."

"It? What's 'it'?"

Aion's eyes narrowed. "You'll see. Just be patient and wait."

Chrono didn't have to wait long. Moments later, he heard a muffled howling, as if it were coming from a long way away. Others soon joined in and the noise became much louder and much closer. Suddenly a demon appeared from one of the access tunnels that led to Pandemonium's core. Then another. And another. Two more. Ten. Fifty. A hundred. Chrono soon lost count as to how many were poring into the room.

Chrono was surprised to see that he knew a few of the demons that had entered the room, all of them older than him. The horde -- which had been flying straight towards Pandemonium's Breeders -- suddenly changed direction and flew towards the ceiling, where they started to fly in a circle.

What happened next was to be forever implanted into Chrono's memory. Without any warning the demons suddenly tore into each other, blood and body parts falling to the ground like rain. Screams of agony and anger echoed throughout the chamber, causing Chrono to shudder and turn his head away, placing his hands over his ears. He tried to escape, to leave the screams and violent images behind him, but was yanked down into the dirt by Aion.

"Let me go, Aion!" he all but wailed. "Let me go! Don't make me watch this."

Aion grabbed Chrono by his hair and whirled him around to the chamber again. "But you HAVE to," he hissed in his brother's ear. "You have to see. See what we are to our beloved 'Mother'! You owe it to them, Chrono. You owe it to our fallen brothers to see what our Mother does to us."

Chrono's eyes involuntarily opened and he was forced to watch as the breeding ritual was carried out. Finally, Aion let him go and he slid down to the dirt, Pandemonium's moans of pleasure still ringing in his ears.

"Now do you see, Brother?" Aion asked. "Do you see why I want us to be free? If we stay here, living under Mother's rule, we'll suffer the same fate. I don't want that for us, for any of us."

Aion turned to face Chrono. "Help me, Brother. Help me create a world where we will never have to worry about things like this again."

Chrono remained silent; his head bowed and shoulders slightly shaking. "What...," he quietly whispered.

Aion raised an eyebrow.

Chrono lifted his head to look Aion in the eyes. "What do you need me to do, Brother?"

Aion smiled and held out his hand, which Chrono took without hesitation. "I need you," he said, helping Chrono to his feet, "to become my sword, Chrono."

-----------------------------

Chrono was staring at his lap when he finished his story, his fists clutching the bed sheets in a white-knuckle grip. He slowly released his breath and forced his hands to loosen their grip.

"After that," he said softly, "Aion and I rebelled against Pandemonium and became Sinners. The rest is history."

Father Remington reached out and placed a hand on Chrono's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "We'll leave you to get some rest now, Chrono. Let us know if you need anything."

"Okay," was all he said.

The two men rose from their seats and headed out the door. The Elder passed through but Father Remington stopped at the door way.

"They were activated when you were with Rosette, weren't they?" he asked, not turning around.

Chrono nodded. "Yes, they were."

"Did you...?"

"No! No, I didn't do that with her. There was no scent present."

Father Remington turned around, confusion written all over his face. "But your Legion. They were..."

"Activated Legion by themselves can't awaken the carnal desires in demons," Chrono explained. "It has to be a combination of a breeder's scent and the Legion. That's why I've always considered Rosette safe when she started... ah, well, you know..."

Father Remington nodded. "One more question. If your Legion didn't have a scent to react off of, what did they use?"

Chrono shook his head. "I don't know. Something like this has never happened before. If I had to guess, I would say they used the emotions that are attached to Rosette."

"Emotions... that are attached to Rosette?"

"Yes, my emotions. My protectiveness of her. My possessiveness towards her. The... lust... I feel for her. And the love I have for her."

A long period of silence settled over the room until it was shattered by the Elder. "Ewan, get in here. We've still got a lot of work to do. I'm not getting any younger you know."

Father Remington started to leave when Chrono called out to him. "Father, wait!"

"Yes?"

"Rosette... Rosette will probably wonder what happened to me, but I don't think I should be around her. Just in case something happens again. So, would you..."

"I'll tell her not to worry about you. And I'll keep the two of you apart for the time being."

"Thank you."

The priest nodded. "You just get some rest, Chrono, I'll talk to Rosette."

Father Remington left the room, closing the door softly behind him. Left alone, Chrono sank slowly onto his back, trying not to aggravate his burns. Closing his eyes, the demon welcomed the sleep he so desperately needed, but dreaded the nightmares that came with it.

The nightmares that were his memories.

(End of Part Two)

Alight everyone, here's part two. I'd like to thank those who read and reviewed my story. I'm glad you enjoyed it (even if it was only one chapter so far). I hope this chapter was as good as the first one was.

-------------------------------

Next chapter:

-- Duffau and Rizel show up at the right place at the wrong time

-- Chrono breaks the Contract and Rosette's heart

See ya next chapter.


	3. Broken

I do not own Chrono Crusade, it belongs to Daisuke Moriyama. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow.

This story takes place before the team leaves for San Francisco. After that it takes a sharp left into my own Alternate Universe. I will be using elements from both the Manga and Anime. Enjoy. C&C is appreciated.

Text Key:

() -- thoughts

'**bold**' -- sound effects

_Speech_ -- Chrono/Demons in true form

-----------------------------

Black Sabbath

Part Three: Broken

By: Anime Otaku

-----------------------------

"_Of all the things she has broken in her life, why hasn't the Contract she made with that demon been one of them?"_

_-Sister Kate Valentine_

_------------------------------_

Magdalan Order Headquarters, New York Branch, 1924

Rosette sighed in annoyance as she waited impatiently for the sun to rise. Patience had never been her strongest of virtues, she'd much rather be out DOING something than stuck where she was WAITING for something. But, given her current condition, she was in no shape to be doing much of anything -- except getting better.

A growl escaped from the young exorcist when she looked out the window again, the first rays of golden sunlight just starting to peek over the horizon.

(Not much longer,) she told herself. (Just a little bit longer and... and... Oh, applesauce! I can't take much more of this!)

Sighting in frustration, the teen sat up, ignoring the slight pain in her side. Walking to the window, she threw it open and breathed in the fresh morning air, the sweet smell of wet grass and dogwood trees filling her lungs.

"This is the last time I wake up early," she huffed, her gaze automatically locking onto the Elder's workshop.

What she was so desperately waiting on was inside there, probably still asleep at this very moment. Rosette could just imagine Chrono as he slept soundly in his bed while she was up and awake waiting on him to come see her.

Chrono.

The thought of him brought up a memory that was still fresh in her mind. Rosette flushed pink when remembered the things that Chrono had done to her, had said to her, and the way her body had reacted to him. But even after all of that, it was what happened afterwards that really stuck in her mind.

-----------------------------

As the initial shock had begun to wear off, Rosette had instinctively jumped up and tried to run after Chrono. A feat that was stopped by a sharp pain that laced through her side and both Azmaria and Satella pushing her back down on the bed. She tried to argue with them to let her go after him, but they refused to let her go. After they had finally gotten her to calm down, somewhat anyway, Father Remington had come in and explained everything to her.

Or so he said. She didn't know why, but Rosette had a sneaky suspicion that the priest was hiding something from her. What it was, she didn't know, but she had been determined to find out by asking Chrono. Once again she had been stopped, by Father Remington this time, saying that she and Chrono needed to spend a couple days apart, just as a precaution.

Rosette had exploded.

She explained, in not so subtle ways -- despite the presence of Azmaria's virgin ears -- that she and Chrono were not going to be separated for any length of time. A promise she made good on when she had been caught trying to sneak out of the infirmary early the next morning. And again at lunch. Finally, after dinner, she had made it to the Elder's workshop, only to be caught once again, this time by Father Remington, who happened to be checking on Chrono.

The priest tried to get Rosette to go back to bed, but the blond exorcist absolutely, positively, refused to leave until she was allowed to do what she had come there to do. And with the gentle reassurance from Chrono, who had emerged from his room due to all the commotion, Rosette was allowed to lead the demon back into his room where they both promptly sat down on his bed -- and Rosette proceeded to unbraid and braid his hair.

-----------------------------

After that little incident, Father Remington had given Chrono permission to visit Rosette one hour a day, three times a day. And for the past three days, he had been doing exactly that. Rosette couldn't say that she was completely happy about it, but it would give her the chance to braid his hair everyday, just as she had done ever since that sunny afternoon in Michigan four years ago.

Rosette was pulled from her musings by three soft knocks on the door and a slightly muffled voice. "Rosette, it's me. Open up."

A big grin spread across the teen's face and she had to suppress the urge to squeal in excitement like a little girl. Quickly scurrying over to the door, Rosette opened it a crack and looked out. Chrono was standing there, a smile on his face and her breakfast in his hands.

"It's about time," Rosette huffed, masking her excitement with annoyance. She moved aside, letting the demon in and closed the door behind him.

"What do you mean 'about time'?" he said, setting the tray on the bedside table. "I'm a full two hours early, if you hadn't noticed."

Blinking in confusion, Rosette looked out the window and saw that Chrono was right. The sun itself was just starting to peek over the horizon.

"Wha... what are you...?" Rosette stammered.

"What am I doing here two hours early?" Chrono finished for her. Rosette nodded. "Well, I thought you wouldn't mind if I spent a little extra time with you," the little demon admitted, a faint blush painting his cheeks. "Three hours a day isn't enough for me."

Rosette felt her cheeks heat up at her partner's confession. "That's fine. I don't mind at all."

Chrono smiled. "I'm glad. So, what now? Would you rather eat your breakfast or catch a few more hours of sleep?"

"Well, I'm definitely not going back to sleep while you're here," she said, sitting on her bed. "Besides, I can get all the sleep I want later."

"Alright, breakfast then." Chrono went to give her the tray, but paused when he felt a slight tugging on his braid.

"I can skip breakfast, for now anyway," Rosette said, smiling slightly. "First thing's first. Get over here and sit down."

Chrono smiled at his partner's bossiness. Doing as he was told, the demon reached behind him and untied the ribbon and shook his head slightly, causing his braid to come undone.

Rosette kneeled behind him and took her brush from the bedside table and started to run it through his hair. A comfortable silence fell over the two as Rosette brushed out the tangles in Chrono's hair. Once finished, she sat the brush aside and laced her fingers through his hair, separating it out and starting the braid.

Chrono's hands clenched into the mattress when he felt Rosette's fingers graze the back of his neck, sending a jolt of electricity down his spine. He grit his teeth and forcefully suppressed the shudder that threatened to spread through his whole body.

(Calm down,) he told himself, (nothing's going to happen. Rosette won't produce another scent for at least a month and my Legion haven't reactivated since that incident.)

"Chrono, you okay?" Rosette asked, stopping in the middle of her braiding.

Chrono blinked in confusion at such a bizarre, out-of-the-blue question. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You just seem really tense, that's all," she said. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Chrono turned his head slightly to look at her. "Of course." Rosette had a disbelieving look in here eyes. "Honestly, everything's Jake," he said, smiling.

Rosette smiled slightly back then resumed her work. Another long period of silence settled over them again, both content in the other's presence.

"All done," Rosette announced, tying off Chrono's final plait with the bow.

"Thanks, Rosette. You did a good job, as usual." When she didn't say anything, Chrono turned to look at her. "Rosette?"

Chrono inhaled sharply when Rosette suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around his chest, pulling him to her and resting her cheek on the crown of his head.

The little demon went rigid and his face turned dark red. "R-R-Rosette? What are you doing?"

"Can we just stay like this for a while?" she whispered, tightening her hold on him slightly. "I miss not having you around all the time. It gets really lonely."

Chrono smiled and relaxed into her embrace. "Sure, I don't mind at all."

Rosette smiled as well. "Thank you."

"Chrono?" she whispered, after a few minutes of silence.

"Hm?"

"How did you know I was awake?"

Although she couldn't see it, Chrono was smiling slightly. "I just did."

(I knew, because, I'm always watching over you, Rosette. And I'll continue to do so. Now and forever.)

-----------------------------

Chrono leaned back against the stone well in the center of the Magdalan Order grounds, watching the clouds drift by. The feel of the warm afternoon sunlight shining down on him brought back memories of his days with Rosette and Joshua back in Michigan. The stories he would tell them, the games they would play, and the dream that the two children wanted to share with him.

Chrono shook his head. As much as he would have liked to take a walk down memory lane, it was best not to dwell too much on the past. It always had the unfortunate effect of bringing up the most painful of memories.

Memories of Aion, of the Sinners, of his betrayal.

Of HER.

And that memory was the most painful of all.

"Chrono?"

Chrono snapped his head up, blinking away the wetness in his eyes, hoping that his tears hadn't been seen.

"Huh?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Satella," he said, rising up to sit on the lip of the well. "Nothing really. Just thinking."

The German woman raised an eyebrow. "Really? So I suppose those tears were the result of you thinking so hard it hurt?"

Chrono flinched and looked away. (Damn!)

Satella took a seat beside the demon. "Oh well, it's no business of mine, so I won't pry into it. The truth is that I'm here to see Rosette and Azmaria as well. Where are they?"

Chrono shrugged. "Don't know. Course if I hade to guess, you might find Azmaria in the infirmary with Rosette. They're supposed to be letting her out today. Why?"

"I've... come to say good-bye to everyone," she said after a moment of silence.

"Good-bye?"

Satella nodded. "I've been doing a lot of thinking ever since that incident in the park. All I've ever been doing is just sitting around here and waiting for information. But, I just can't stand here and do noting anymore, so I've decided to go to San Francisco and restart my search there."

Chrono smiled. "I see. Well, I wish you the best of luck, but I don't think you should say your good-byes just yet."

Satella cocked her head to the side. "Why not?"

"Rosette and I will be heading to San Francisco as soon as her ribs heal. And I have a feeling that we'll bump into each other sooner or later over there."

"I see. Well then, I won't say good-bye just yet," she said, standing up. "Oh, and, Chrono, one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Tell Rosette that she still owes me for that vase she broke at my manor. Just because I'm leaving doesn't mean she's getting off the hook."

Chrono sweat-dropped. "Eh, heh, heh, I'll be sure and tell her."

Satella smiled. "All right then. I'll see you la--!"

Chrono jumped up and caught Satella when she stopped in mid sentence suddenly and fell forward.

"Satella! Satella, what's wrong?" he said, shaking her slightly.

"You don't need to worry about her, Chrono. You should be more worried about yourself."

Chrono whirled around and came face to face with Sister Kate.

"Sister Kate? What are you doing here?"

Sister Kate smiled wickedly and pointed a revolver in Chrono's face, cocking the hammer back.

_"Just picking up some cargo to come back with me."_

Chrono's eyes widened. That was most defiantly not Sister Kate's voice. But he knew who it belonged to.

"Rizelle!"

Chrono didn't get a chance to move before the possessed Sister pulled the trigger.

-----------------------------

"Ah, it feels so good to be back in my own room again."

Azmaria smiled as Rosette plopped down on her back, snuggling into her pillow. "So how much longer are you going to be on bed-rest?"

Rosette sat up and put a finger to her chin. "Well, from what the doctors told me, technically I'm well enough to do pretty much whatever I like. However, because the injury to my ribs was so severe, I can't do anything to overexert myself. Like going on missions for example."

Azmaria nodded. "So you're sill on light-duty, huh?"

"Yep. At least I will be for another month or so."

"I'm sorry, Rosette. If I could only control my power enough to heal you. But, all I can do is heal flesh wounds, so..." Azmaria bowed her head, her hands clutching her convent uniform.

Rosette smiled and ruffled the young girl's hair. "Don't beat yourself up over it, Azmaria; you're doing great as you are now. And I know that if you really want to become stronger, you will. I have all the confidence in the world in you."

Azmaria looked up, wiping at the wetness in her eyes. "Really?"

Rosette pulled the girl into a hug. "Really. I couldn't have asked for a better apprentice than you."

"Thank you, Rosette. That means a lot to me."

The moment between the two girls was shattered when the sound of a gunshot and someone screaming in pain echoed across the convent grounds. Before either could react, the door suddenly flew open and three figures walked in, each pointing a shotgun at the girls.

Rosette tightened her grip on Azmaria and stared in shock at who the three figures were. "Mary? Anna? Claire? What the hell is going on here?"

Claire smiled at Rosette. _"Hello, Sister Rosette. It's so good to see you again."_

Rosette's eyes widened. She knew that voice. "It's you! The one from Grand Central Station!"

_"Correct. You may call me the Puppet Master."_

"How did you get here? And what did you do to them?"

Claire wiggled her finger at Rosette._ "Ah, ah, ah. Now's not the time for questions, Sister Rosette. We still have much to do and so little time to do it in."_

Anna stepped forward and threw a convent uniform on Rosette's bed. _"Please put that on,"_ Claire said. _"We must have you looking somewhat presentable for your journey."_

Rosette looked at the uniform the back at Claire. "Why should I?"

Claire put a hand to her cheek. _"Goodness, I guess you don't care what happens to Chrono then, do you?"_

Rosette's eyes widened.

"What did you do to Chrono?" Azmaria shouted.

Clair grinned wickedly. _"I shot him."_

"What?"

_"I've always been curious to see what one of these Sacred bullets would do to a demon when fired at point-blank range."_ Claire chuckled. _"It wasn't very pretty."_

Azmaria buried her face in Rosette's shoulder and started to cry.

"I swear," Rosette said through clenched teeth, "if you've killed Chrono..."

_"Oh don't worry; Chrono's still alive... for now anyway. But, if you don't do as I say, I can't guarantee that he'll stay that way very long."_

"Fine." Gently prying Azmaria off of her, Rosette quickly changed out of her nightdress and into the convent uniform. "There, I'm done. Now take me to Chrono!"

_"As you wish."_ Claire stepped aside and motioned with her shotgun. _"He's out by the well, get moving. You too, Apostle girl, I have business with you as well."_

Keeping Azmaria close to her side, Rosette let herself be led out of her room by the three possessed Sisters and into the center of the convent.

-----------------------------

Chrono awoke to a world of pain.

Not just the pain from his bullet wound, but pain in his whole body. It was if thousands of tiny needles were stabbing him all at once. Even the slightest of movements hurt. The demon tried to sit up, but found his movements restrained. Forcing his eyes open, he blinked in disbelief when he saw a blue light surrounding him.

(A barrier!)

_"Welcome back, Chrono. I thought you were dead for a moment there."_

"Rizelle--!" Chrono hissed in pain. Even talking hurt.

Sister Kate/Rizelle sighed. _"I can't believe you've been reduced to this, Chrono. When you were with us, not even the strongest of demons could stand against you. And now look at yourself, a single bullet and you're nearly dead."_

"Did you shoot me just so you could mock me?" he hissed out.

Sister Kate smiled. _"Of course not. I had to make sure you wouldn't cause any trouble."_

"Someone will find out. That gunshot is sure to cause some commotion."

_"Oh, I don't think so. Take a look around."_

Chrono looked to his left and right and felt his heart sink. She had captured them. The entire Order was under Rizelle's control. Each member had a gun pointed to their head and the hammers cocked back.

"You never change, Rizelle," Chrono growled out, anger flashing in his eyes. "Always using someone else to fight your battles for you."

_"Careful, Chrono. We wouldn't want any 'accidents' to happen now would we?"_

Chrono bit his tongue to stop himself from lashing out at Rizelle again. Instead, he scanned the crowed, looking for Father Remington.

This did not go unnoticed by Rizelle. _"If you're looking for that bothersome priest, you're wasting your time. I've already dealt with him."_

"What...?"

_"Oh, don't worry, he's not dead. Just... napping at the moment. I was quite surprised when I couldn't control him. He has a very strong will, it appears. And the feeling I got from him, it almost felt like..." _Sister Kate/Rizelle trailed off, as if she was off in her own world. She quickly snapped back to the present. _"Ah, well, enough of that. We have more guests, Chrono, just for you."_

The crowed behind Sister Kate separated and Chrono felt his gut twist into a knot.

"Rosette! Azmaria!"

"Chrono!" the two shouted, running to his side.

Rosette quickly removed the barrier and helped him sit up. "Are you okay, Chrono?"

Chrono smiled weakly and gave Rosette a thumbs-up. "I'm Jake. It's gonna take a lot more than a Sacred to do me in."

"Oh no, Ms. Satella!" Azmaria cried, crawling over to the woman, putting her head in her lap.

"Satella? What's she doing here?"

"Never mind about that, Rosette," Chrono said, turning he gaze to Sister Kate, "we have a bigger problem on our hands now."

Sister Kate/Rizelle laughed. _"Well, I hope you enjoyed you time together, Sister Rosette, because it's time to go."_

"What makes you think that I'm going anywhere with you?" Rosette snapped.

_"Oh, that's too bad. I thought you wanted to see you brother again."_

Rosette's eyes widened. "Joshua..."

_"I can take you to him, you know,"_ the possessed Sister said, smiling. _"He's been screaming for you for so long that it's gotten annoying. I'm hoping that by bringing you to him, it will shut him up. "_

"Horsefeathers!" Rosette shouted. "What makes you think that I'm going to trust the words of someone who hides behind innocent people like a coward?"

Sister Kate's eyebrow twitched. _"A coward, am I? Well, let's see how brave you are when you see the real me."_

"Rosette, what are you doing?" Chrono hissed.

"Stalling for time," she whispered back. "If I can keep her talking long enough, I'm sure I can think of a way to get us out of this."

Chrono groaned. "Were all dead."

Rosette ignored her partner's comment as the crowed parted again and Rizelle stalked forward. Chrono's eyes widened in disbelief. The Rizelle he was looking at now was completely different from the one he had known all those years ago. No, this was not the Rizelle he knew. What he was looking at was a monster.

"Rizelle...," he whispered in a sick voice. "What did they do to you?"

-----------------------------

Duffau flew over the New York skyline towards the Magdalan Order, panic eating away at him. He didn't care if anyone saw him in his true form at this point; he was too busy cursing himself for his stupidity.

_(Damn! Damn! DAMN! How could I have been fooled that easily? Three days! Three days I spent running around this city chasing a decoy! A DECOY!)_

Putting on an extra burst of power, Duffau pushed his speed and body to the limits, creating a gust of wind below on the city streets that caused the people to look up at the sky in confusion.

As the city streets and buildings gave way to grassy fields and forests, Duffau could begin to feel the presence of the real Rizelle and another, more powerful force. It was more powerful than him. More powerful than Pandemonium even! But who could it have been? Who was emitting this kind of power?

Duffau quickly pushed those thoughts aside when the Magdalan Order came into view. The scene below him only confirmed his fears. Rizelle had been after the Apostle from the very beginning. The Sinner was facing off against a transformed Chrono and had the Apostle of Charity held captive. Duffau was perplexed to see that the entire Order had surrounded Chrono and were pointing weapons at him. Then he saw the thin spider threads coming from two of Rizelle's extra hands and he understood the situation.

Pulling a strand of hair from his beard, Duffau called forth his power and moved in to attack the unsuspecting Sinner.

-----------------------------

Rizelle smiled, amused at Chrono's look of shock. _"Surprised? Of course you are. You didn't stay around long enough to see my modification after the incident."_

Chrono couldn't say anything, still too shocked at seeing his former friend and fellow Sinner turned into the monstrosity that stood before him.

Taking advantage of Chrono's distracted state; Rizelle sent spider webs from her two free back hands and wrapped them around Azmaria and Rosette, pulling them next to her. Chrono snapped back to attention.

"Rosette!" he yelled, lunging after his Contractor. Pain shot through his body the second he moved, sending him to his knees.

The spiritual power of the Sacred was still having an affect on him, causing his whole body to scream in pain instead of just his shoulder. Chrono clenched his teeth in anger as Rizelle laughed at his weakness, and then he felt his heart drop into his stomach. Somehow Rosette had managed to position her hands over the pocket watch just as she had been caught in Rizelle's threads. Her fingers were inching closer to release the Seal and Chrono knew what she was planning.

(Not like this,) he lamented. (I wanted to tell her, to prepare her for it, but, I kept hesitating. Why? Why did I wait so long? What was holding me back? I was doing it for her, so she could live a long life. What was I scared of? What AM I scared of?)

_"Well, Chrono,"_ Rizelle said, bringing him out of his thoughts, "_it's been fun, but I must get these two to Lord Aion. And as a parting gift..."_ Wiggling her fingers, she maneuvered the captured Order members, forcing them to raise their weapons, taking aim on Chrono._ "...I'll give you a 'twenty-one gun salute'. Good-bye, Chrono."_

That was all the time Rosette needed. Her fingers finally wrapped around the release button and the instant after she released the Seal, Chrono realized what it was that he had been afraid of.

The connection. The connection that he and Rosette had shared ever since the Contract had been created was shattered and he lost the feeling of her presence. That constant reminder that she was always there with him, no matter how far apart they were. And in its place a new connection was formed. Chrono could feel the power that he would now draw upon and shuddered.

It was undeniably evil, but there was no turning back now. Just as before, Chrono took the plunge and called out to the power, absorbing it into his being and using it to transform. As his body began to change, he thought he heard something coming from deep within him.

It sounded like laughter.

-----------------------------

The moment Rosette released the Seal, she knew something was wrong. Instead of the searing pain and shortness of breath she got from having more of her Astral energy being forcefully removed from her soul, she felt something within her shatter and it left her feeling cold, empty, and alone.

The next thing Rosette knew, she was flying through the air in someone's warm embrace. Looking up she saw Chrono, fully transformed and eyes looking down at her in concern and something else.

Regret.

He had been looking at her in the same way four year ago when he had told her what a Contract was. But why was he looking at her like that now? What had he done? A possibility crossed her mind, but she was too scared to look down and confirm it. But she needed to know.

When he sat her back on the ground again she immediately grabbed the pocket watch and looked at it. Again she felt something inside her shatter, this time on a much grander scale.

The pocket watch, the symbol of their Contract, of their bond, and of so much more, was dead.

Rosette sank to her knees, two tear droplets falling on the black surface of the watch. She ignored the shouting from Rizelle and the threat of the controlled Order members, too focused on the realization that was staring her in the face.

The Contract was broken.

And Chrono was the one who had broken it.

-----------------------------

Rizelle screamed in pain when an explosion on her back destroyed her two back hands, causing the Order's captured members to collapse in an unconscious heap. Chrono used this distraction to rescue Azmaria and placed her next to Rosette.

Rizelle whirled around and looked up at the sky. _"Duffau!"_ she raged.

_"Sinner Rizelle, in the name of Pandemonium, I am here to pass judgment upon you. Prepare to die."_

Rizelle backed away from Duffau and nearly ran into Chrono. The transformed demon stood there, a neutral look on his face and an overwhelming sadness in his eyes.

_"Rizelle..."_

The Sinner didn't get a chance to respond. Duffau attacked again, destroying Rizelle's lower half and blowing her apart. Her scream of pain was muffled by the explosion and Chrono's own screams of horror.

When the dust cleared, Chrono was horrified to see what had happened to Rizelle. The demon's torso was the only thing that remained. Chrono slowly made his way over to the dying Rizelle; Azmaria, Rosette, and Satella -- who had woken up just it time to see the demon blown apart -- following behind him.

_"Heh, heh... Do you think this is the end?"_ Rizelle wheezed, blood leaking from her mouth and head._ "It isn't over yet! It's barely even started. This is just the beginning of the end. But... it's too bad I won't be able to see it with my own eyes now."_

Chrono kneeled down next to Rizelle and took her hand in his own, giving it a squeeze. _"Rizelle, it's me,"_ he whispered. _"What's Aion going to use Joshua for?"_

Rizelle turned to look at Chrono, smiling slightly. _"Chrono... is that you? If only you hadn't left Lord Aion... Don't you know? We Sinners have only one desire. True freedom, true release. If all the Apostles are brought together, we can attain that."_

"The Apostles?" Rosette whispered.

Rizelle looked at her. _"Heh, heh. You'd better hurry, Sister Rosette. I was supposed to bring you... to make that BOY more stable."_ Rizelle coughed once, spitting up more blood. _"Joshua is an Apostle, but he has horns... He's very easily sucked in by IT. He's become a double-edged sword for us."_

Rosette's eyes widened. "It? What's it? What are you talking about?"

Rizelle smiled. _"Pandemonium -- the demon world."_ The demon coughed one last time, closing her eyes and accepting the end. _"Lord Aion," _she whispered, _"was I... Was Rizelle... any use to you?"_

Rizelle's body went limp and her hand slipped out of Chrono's, falling to her side.

_"Good-bye, Rizelle. I'm sorry,"_ Chrono whispered to her.

Chrono turned around to face the trio of women behind him. _"Rosette, are you--"_

'**SLAP**'

Chrono's head snapped to the side and his eyes widened in disbelief, a hand automatically going to the cheek that Rosette had slapped. He slowly looked at her and felt his heart ache. She was crying. Tears were falling unchecked down her face and her whole body was shaking.

"How could you?" she chocked out. "How could you break our Contract like that? I thought you needed me, but I guess I was wrong."

Chrono removed his hand from his face, the red mark already gone. _"Rosette, I..."_

"Save it!" she spat. "I don't want to hear any of you excuses! And since you don't need me anymore, I'll... I'll just..."

Chrono reached out and tried to put a comforting hand on Rosette, but she slapped it away and backed away from him.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled. "Don't look at me! Don't speak to me! Don't even come anywhere near me! I hate you, Chrono! I HATE you! And I wish I'd never met you!"

Spinning on her heal, Rosette ran away from the stunned demon, Azmaria and Satella quickly running after her and calling her name.

Chrono stood as still as a statue, watching Rosette run away from him. When she was finally out of sight, only then did he let himself move. Collapsing to his knees, the demon began pounding at the ground angrily.

_"Damn it!"_ he whispered, tears slowly sliding down his face. _"What have I done? What have I done?"_

_"Sinner Chrono."_

Chrono blinked away his tears and stood up, but didn't look at Duffau. _"What do you want, Duffau? Are you here to pass judgment on me as well?"_

_"Far from it,"_ the Pursuer leader said. _"I am here to lend the services of myself and my Legion to help you track down and stop Aion."_

_"You want the Order to ally themselves with you?"_ Chrono snorted. _"It'll never happen. They'll never allow themselves to openly work with demons."_

_"Then you must convince them. It can be beneficial for both of us, as we have the same enemy. I will return at sunrise. I'll expect an answer by then."_

Spreading his wings, Duffau took to the sky and left Chrono standing in the middle of the convent with his demand.

-----------------------------

Night had fallen by the time the Order was up and running smoothly again. Father Remington left the infirmary after checking on the last of the Order members who were still in a daze due to Rizelle's manipulations. As he walked across the convent grounds, he noticed the dark silhouette of Chrono standing beside the well. The priest walked up to the demon and stood beside the still transformed demon, neither of them saying anything for a long period of time.

Finally, Father Remington broke the silence. "Where's Rizelle's body?"

The demon was silent for a moment before he answered. _"I took her outside the convent grounds and buried her. She deserved that at least."_

The priest nodded. "I see."

Another long period of silence followed before Chrono asked, _"Is there something you wanted, Father Remington?"_

"As a matter of fact, there is. I told Sister Kate as much as I heard of that Duffau character's proposition. You can already imagine what her reaction was."

_"She said no, right?"_

Father Remington nodded. "Shouted it, actually. It took some convincing, but I finally got her to at least consider the option. Unfortunately, I'm going to need your help in doing that."

Chrono tuned slightly to look at the priest. _"Me?"_

"I pointed out to Sister Kate that you and the demons could be a great deal of information regarding Aion and what he is trying to do. So she wants to talk to you before making any kind of decision."

_"I see. Now?"_

"I think that would be best. You only have until dawn to come up with an answer."

Chrono nodded. _"Alright. Let's go see her."_

Father Remington reached out and caught Chrono's shoulder. "Um, you might want to change before you see Sister Kate. You know how she feels about you presence here and I think seeing you in that form would be too much of a surprise for her."

_"Oh, right."_

Chrono closed his eyes and felt himself change. Opening his eyes, he saw Father Remington staring at him in shock.

"What's wrong Fa--?"

Chrono slapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide. His voice had changed. He didn't sound like a child anymore. It sounded more mature, like he was still in his demon form. He quickly ran into the convent and found the nearest bathroom, coming to stand in front of a mirror.

"What the hell?"

The reflection staring back at him was most defiantly not that of a child. He was in his mature form again. He quickly checked himself to see what had changed. He had kept the same hairstyle and braid, much to his relief. He had the same red colored cloths as well with only a few alterations. His black sash and suspenders were gone and he now wore a pair of red pants instead of shorts. His headband was still there as well.

"How...?" he asked his reflection. "How did this happen?"

"Chrono?" Father Remington asked from the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"Remember when I said you should change so you wouldn't startle anyone?"

Chrono brought a hand to his face and pinched his cheek, as if to confirm that this wasn't a dream. "Yeah."

The priest sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Forget what I said."

-----------------------------

"Come in," Sister Kate called after hearing three knocks at her office door. Father Remington walked inside and quickly closed the door behind him. "Ah, Father Remington, did you find Chrono?"

Father Remington stood before Sister Kate's desk and collected his thoughts, failing to notice the other occupants of the room. "Did I find Chrono? Well, yes and no."

Sister Kate blinked in confusion. "What do you mean 'yes and no'?"

Father Remington closed his eyes and put a finger to his temple. "Well, yes, I found Chrono. But, he's, well, different."

"Different how?"

"He's... changed. A lot."

Sister Kate started to get mad. "Father Remington, will you please stop beating around the bush and just TELL me what is wrong with Chrono?"

Father Remington sighed. "I can't really tell you what's wrong with him. You'll just have to see it for yourself." He returned to the door and opened it slightly. "Come on in." A pause. "Yes, I told her -- sort of -- but, well, you'll just have to show her." Another pause. "She's going to find out sooner or later. Might as well be now."

Father Remington stepped aside and Chrono walked slowly in moments later. There was a collection of shocked gasps and a shattering of porcelain when Sister Kate dropped her cup of tea. Chrono looked to his left and found Satella, Azmaria and even Rosette sitting on the couch. All three of them had their mouths open is shock and a bright blush painting their cheeks. Rosette seemed to recover her wits first and quickly looked away from him, her hands clenching into fists.

(Rosette...)

Giving himself a mental shake, Chrono walked up to Sister Kate, who was still staring at him in shock. "You wanted to see me, Sister Kate?"

Sister Kate stared at him a moment longer before shaking herself out of her stupor. "Oh, um, yes, yes I did, Chrono. Father Remington has told me of the proposition made by a demon named Duffau. Before I come to any kind of decision I need to know a few things. Things I'm sure you can help us with."

"What do you want to know?"

"I need to know about Pandemonium, about Aion and why he and his group are called 'Sinners'."

"Alright," Chrono said, as Satella and Azmaria moved closer. Rosette stayed where she was, still looking away from him. Father Remington raised a questioning eyebrow, but Chrono slightly shook his head.

"The world in which all demons are borne and live in," he began, "is known as Pandemonium. And our 'Mother' is Pandemonium itself."

"I'm confused," Sister Kate said. "How can the world you live in be your Mother?"

"The world of Pandemonium was named by it's creator, an Angel that was cast from Heaven after the rebellion. Her true name was lost to time and we simply refer to her as our Mother or Pandemonium -- the world which she created."

"I see. That clears it up somewhat. So is Pandemonium really the mother of all demons?"

Chrono nodded. "She is. Demons don't really have a concept of 'family', but since we're all borne from the same 'Mother' we see ourselves as brothers and sisters of the same community. It's a hierarchal society... like where every bee comes from the same queen. So, that's why, for us, killing a 'brother' or 'sister' is considered the greatest sin a demon can commit."

"So that's why you're always being chased by Pursuers," Satella chimed in. She still had a light blush on her cheeks, but otherwise, had recovered from the shock of Chrono's new, more mature form.

Chrono looked at the floor, a great amount of sadness in his eyes. "Yes. When Aion and I rebelled, we had to kill a lot of our brethren to escape Pandemonium. We were labeled as 'Sinners' for that and for helping Aion kill our Mother. It was part of his plan to attain true freedom."

"I'm curious, Chrono," Father Remington said after a few moments of silence. "Is Pandemonium the same thing as the 'Hell' that we humans are taught about?"

Chrono shook his head. "No. Pandemonium was created strictly for demons to live in. It's not Hell itself, more like a sub-level of Hell. But the demon world needs Hell just as much as Hell needs the demon world."

"How so?" Sister Kate asked.

Chrono looked up and spread his arms wide. "Look at me, Sister Kate. What do you see?"

Sister Kate was confused. "Chrono, I don't think I understand what you're asking."

Chrono sighed and dropped his arms. "Alright then, I'll ask bluntly. What am I, Sister Kate?"

"You're a demon--"

"Correct," Chrono said, cutting her off before she could say more. "I am a demon. A supernatural creature born of an evil that you humans fear. And yet, I am also very much like you humans. I have a heart, blood pumps through my veins and I can bleed that same blood. I can cry, laugh, and feel pain. I can also feel anger, hate, love, and loss, the very same emotions you humans feel." He looked over his shoulder at Rosette as he said this, and then quickly turned away. "How do you think a being such as myself can do that?"

Everyone present gave him blank stares. He had expected just as much. "The answer is quite simple, really. It's because every demon in Pandemonium has a soul, just as you humans do."

"What?"

"A soul?"

"How is that possible?"

Chrono held up his hand to quite everyone. "Yes, a soul. Just as it is the spark of life for you humans, it is the same with us demons. However, we get it in a very different way than you do."

"How does a demon get one then?" Father Remington asked.

"We 'recycle' them, so to speak." This brought another round of confused stares, so he began to explain.

"When a human is borne, he is given a soul by God that is specifically made for him. Along with the soul, he is also given a limited amount of Astral energy that is attached to it. The Astral acts as a sort of 'anchor' to keep the soul in the body. When the Astral runs out, the human dies. The energy is returned to the Astral Lines and, depending on what the human's life was like, the soul either goes to Heaven or Hell. If the human walked the path of righteousness, he is granted eternal paradise. But, if he strayed from the path, eternal damnation is his reward."

"We already know this, Chrono," Sister Kate said. "The souls of the damned must spend eternity in Hell for his sins after his death."

Chrono shook his head. "That's where you're wrong, Sister Kate. The soul doesn't spend an eternity in Hell, it is only stored there. It's final destination is Pandemonium."

Sister Kate's mouth dropped open and her hands started to shake. "Y-you don't mean... Surely you don't..."

Chrono nodded, a grim expression on his face. "I do. Myself, Aion, the Sinners, the Pursuers, and every demon that we have ever fought, has what used to be a human soul in them."

Satella fell back into a chair and Azmaria dropped to her knees. Sister Kate's eyes seemed to have glazed over and Father Remington was barely keeping himself under control, his hands gripping Sister Kate's desk in a white-knuckle grip. Chrono sneaked a glance at Rosette and saw her with her had bowed and shoulder shaking. It hurt him to have to crush down on the urge to go over there and try and comfort her. But, the last thing he needed was to cause a scene in front of Sister Kate.

"How?" Satella asked. "How is this possible? Why would Pandemonium do something like this?"

Chrono sighed. "It's the only way that we demons could be given life. Pandemonium may have been the Mother of all demons, but she is not God. She's just an Angel, and Angels can't create something as complex as a soul. So she needed another way to bring her children to life. When sin was first introduced to man and they started killing themselves, Mother found that the souls of the damned didn't really go anywhere, they just lingered on the Earth in a state of limbo. She soon found out that she could reach out to them and pull them into her world. Unfortunately, when placed into a newly-born demon's body, the soul wouldn't stay, it kept trying to get out. She later learned that because the soul's Astral energy had run out, there was noting to anchor it to the body."

"Which is where the horns of a demon come in," pointed out Father Remington.

Chrono nodded. "That's right. Thanks to the constant flow of Astral energy that's absorbed by the horns, the soul could be anchored to the body and it would never be able to leave. Soon after that, Hell was created to store the souls of the damned when there became too many to just pull one at a time from limbo. When a soul is pulled from Hell and anchored to a new-born demon, it's twisted and reshaped to fit that demon's body. All memories of it's past life are erased and new ones will fill it from the demon that uses it."

Everyone was silent after that until Azmaria timidly asked, "And what happens to the souls of the demons we kill?"

"Unless they can posses a human in time, the demon's soul is sent back to Hell where it's memories are erased and it waits for another body to be anchored to."

Azmaria's hands went to her mouth. "That's horrible!"

"I agree," he said, giving Azmaria a sympathetic look. "But, for us demons, that's the way our life is."

"Chrono, could you pleas wait downstairs," Sister Kate asked, finally coming out of her trance. "I'll need a moment to make a decision as on what to do about the proposed alliance."

"All right. I'll be outside." Chrono walked to the door and stopped just short of it.

Rosette was still avoiding any kind of eye contact with him. Her hands were still balled into fists and she was completely still. Chrono tried to say something to her -- anything at all -- but found that the words simply died on his lips or got lodged in his throat.

Turning away, he quickly made his way out of the office, missing the single tear that rolled down her cheek and splashed against the face of the pocket watch that she still wore around her neck.

-----------------------------

"Chrono?"

The demon shook himself awake and turned in the direction of the voice. "Father Remington? What time is it?"

The priest sat down next to him on the lip of the well. "Just a little before dawn. Sorry it took so long."

Chrono blinked rapidly. "It took Sister Kate this long to come to a decision?"

Father Remington shook his head. "No. She decided not long after you left."

Chrono tilted his head in confusion. "Then what took so long?"

"The Bishop Council was a lot more difficult to convince than Sister Kate was," the priest chuckled. "Sister Kate may be in charge here, but, to get full support from other branches if the need arises, she had to go through the Council."

Chrono nodded. "I see. But they agreed non-the-less."

"With one condition."

"And that was?"

"The Council wants you to act as a liaison between the Magdalan Order and the Pursuers. They've agreed to be involved with the demons, but not DIRECTLY involved, if you get what I mean."

Chrono laughed. "Yeah, I understand. It wouldn't look very good to the public if they found out that the Order was working with demons."

"Exactly. I'm glad you understand the situation we're in."

The two were silent as they waited for the sun to rise and Duffau to make his appearance as promised.

"What happened between you and Rosette?" Father Remington asked.

Chrono winced and looked away. "I'd... rather not talk about it."

"Very well then. I wont press the issue."

"Thank you."

"Tell me this much at least. How do you know so much about the workings of Pandemonium? This latest piece of information doesn't seem like the kind of thing that you Mother would just give to anyone."

"It's not. Actually, Aion stumbled on this information by mistake."

"How?"

"We were trying to find a way to become free of Pandemonium by searching through our Mother's memories. The one who was doing most of the searching, a demon named Shader, called us to her lab one day and showed us what she had found. To say that Aion was upset is an understatement. It upset the rest of us as well, but, at the same time, it strengthened our resolve to try and find a way to break free of our Mothers' chain."

Father Remington nodded. "I could only imagine what a human would feel if they dived into the mind of God and found out all of his secrets."

The two were silent again until the sun began to rise in the eastern sky, it's rays lighting the sky above them. Chrono felt a surge of demonic energy and knew that Duffau was here. The demon stalked forward and stopped in front of the two as they rose to their feet.

"Sinner Chrono," he said, "do you have an answer for me?"

Chrono nodded. "I do. The Order has agreed to work with you under one condition."

"And that is?"

"I am to act at the liaison between your Pursuers and the Order."

Duffau reached up and began to stroke his beard. "And that's all?"

"That's all."

The Pursuer pulled several strands from his beard and rolled them between his fingers. "Very well," he said, releasing the hairs into the lightly blowing wind. "I'll accept the condition."

Chrono held out his hand. "Then we're in agreement?"

Duffau took Chrono's outstretched hand in his own. "We are."

"Good," Chrono said, releasing his hold.

"However," Duffau quickly cut in, "this does not save you from Pandemonium's judgment. As soon and Aion and his Sinners are stopped, you will be judged for you actions against our Mother."

Chrono smiled sadly. "I know. And when that time comes, I will accept whatever punishment Mother sees fit to bestow upon me."

Duffau nodded. "Very well then. I shall take my leave of this place and contact you when I have more information on Aion's movements. Until then, Chrono."

Duffau stepped back and disappeared in a surge of demonic energy, leaving Chrono and Father Remington alone in the courtyard. An agreement fulfilled and a dire promise for Chrono to dwell on.

-----------------------------

Chrono entered his room and collapsed on his bed, not bothering to remove any of his clothing. This had turned out to be the most miserable day of his life. The pain he felt in his heart after hearing Rosette declaring her utter hatred towards him was like noting he had ever felt before.

It even engulfed the pain that he had felt when Magdalan had died in his arms.

The demon rolled onto his side and squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to think about his mistakes, both of the past and the present. Instead he tried to think of a way to fix what he had broken. Unfortunately, he had no idea where to begin.

(Sleep,) he told himself. (That's a good place to start. After a good night... well, day of sleep, I should be able to think things through a lot easier.)

Relaxing himself, Chrono was soon lulled to sleep by his own wryness and exhaustion. The last thing he felt before he completely drifted away was the single tear that escaped his eye and was absorbed into his pillow.

(End of Part Three)

------------------------------

Okay everyone, Part Three is done, sir, done! Yay for me! I'm sorry it took so long to get up, but my Company Commander had the bright idea of sending us into the field for a couple of days while the temperature had been cranked up to around 104 to 115 degrees. Yeah, more fun for me. On the brighter side of things, I think I sweated at least ten pounds off while I was out there.

And for those who are curious, yes, I am in the military -- Marine Corps to be exact.

As usual, I would like to thank everyone for their kind reviews, they really helped me get through this chapter.

And a special thank you to ChibiRaccoon. I think you prayer was answered after I read your review. The writers block spell that had plagued me for the past couple of days disappeared almost instantly and I could write again. So, thank you very much. Oh, and just so you know, the writer that you had so readily thrown yourself at to be a slave to is a HIM, not a HER. Just a little something for you and everyone out there who read this to roll around in there minds.

Next chapter:

-- Old friends meet once again to discusses their findings

-- Chrono reaches his wits end with Rosette

See ya next chapter.


	4. Embrace

I do not own Chrono Crusade, it belongs to Daisuke Moriyama. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow.

This story takes place before the team leaves for San Francisco. After that it takes a sharp left into my own Alternate Universe. I will be using elements from both the Manga and Anime. Enjoy. C&C is appreciated.

Text Key:

() -- thoughts

'**bold**'-- sound effects

_Speech_ -- Chrono/Demons in true form

-----------------------------

Black Sabbath

Part Four: Embrace

By: Anime Otaku

-----------------------------

"_Love can be anywhere. It comes and goes unexpectedly. If it comes, embrace it. If it goes, let it go. Trying to hold onto something that doesn't exist anymore will only cause pain and hurt. Not only to you, but to those around you."_

_-Mary Magdalene_

_----------------------------------_

Grand Plaza Hotel, New York, 1924

Gabriel stepped off the elevator and onto the third floor of the extremely high-class, and high-priced, hotel. He walked down the hall, glancing every now and then at the number written on the piece of paper he had in his hand. Finally, he came to the door and checked the paper one more time, just to be sure.

(Room 318. Here we are.)

Stuffing the paper in his pocket, Gabriel knocked on the door and waited. The door opened moments later and whatever greeting Gabriel was going to say got logged in his throat.

Standing before him was a very beautiful, young brunet. She was wearing a VERY skimpy cream silk teddy, leaving practically nothing to the imagination. The Angel's mouth dropped open as the woman leaned against the doorframe, her eyes half-lidded and full of lust.

"Well, hello there," she said, tongue darting out to lick her lips hungrily. "I didn't know we were expecting company."

Gabriel made a choking sound in the back of his throat when the woman reached out and ran a hand down his chest. He could practically feel the lust radiating off of her.

"You know, most people say that 'three's a crowd', but, I think I could make it work."

Gabriel's eyes glazed over and he nearly became a stuttering mess as he was led inside the room by the woman, who shut the door behind them.

"Darling, we have some company," she called out.

There was a chuckle from the bedroom. "You're not harassing the bellboys again, are you?"

"Oh no, I found a real MAN to have some fun with," she said, licking her lips again

The owner of the second voice emerged from the bedroom moments later, dressed in a red silk bathrobe. He grinned when he saw who the guest was.

"Ah, Gabriel, so good to see you again. Come in, sit down. I was just about to eat breakfast."

When he didn't get a response from the stationary Angel, Lucifer knew that as long as his female 'guest' was here, they wouldn't get anything done.

"Okay, my dear, party's over. Me and my friend here have some business to discuss."

The brunet whined. "Aww, but I was hoping to have some more fun."

Lucifer smirked. "We can have fun again another time. Right now, my friend and I have some very important business to discuss."

The woman pouted. "Well, all right."

The woman returned to the bedroom and came back moments later, fully dressed. Lucifer walked her to the door and before she left, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Thanks for the great time. You know where to find me if you want to have some more fun. And bring that friend of yours with you next time. I can have one of my friends show him a good time as well."

Lucifer chuckled. "I'm sure you could."

The woman left and Lucifer shut the door, shaking his head in amusement.

(Humans are so easy to manipulate,) he mused.

Walking over to the stupefied Angel, Lucifer looked into his glazed over eyes. He waved a hand in his face and snapped his fingers a couple of times, getting no response from him. Sighing in annoyance, the ex-Angel grabbed his former friend by the front of his shirt and dragged him over to a nearby table and, not so gently, sat him down at it.

Lucifer seated himself across from Gabriel and grabbed a piece of toast from the breakfast tray that room service had brought up earlier. The toast was halfway to his mouth when Gabriel finally started showing signs of life. His hands clenched into fists, his eyes came into focus and mouth snapped shut, jawbone clenching.

The Devil sighed and mentally started to count down.

(Five... four... three... two... one... Now.)

"Have you no SHAME?"

Lucifer jammed the toast into Gabriel's mouth, effectively stopping the Angel from launching into a sermon-long speech about the sins he had committed.

"No, I don't," he said, casually leaning back in his chair. "And you've obviously forgotten who you're talking to."

Gabriel pulled the toast out of his mouth and practically threw it at the grinning Devil. "I haven't forgotten who I'm talking to."

"Good. Then we can get down to business. I have some information for you that you'll find interesting."

"I would hope so," the Angel said, reaching for a glass of orange juice. "You haven't given me anything in over a month. I was sure that you had decided to forget everything and run away."

"Oh, ye of little faith."

"When it comes to you. Oh, most defiantly."

Lucifer was shocked. "My, my. Is that sarcasm I detect?"

"Will you just shut-up and give me your report," Gabriel growled.

The Devil shrugged. "All right, but you might not want to drink that, I don't exactly have any good news."

Gabriel snorted. "How bad could it be?"

Lucifer looked around the room then leaned in close, as if he was conveying some great secrete. "Something or someone is pulling Crayak's power into this world."

There was a gagging noise then Gabriel spit out the juice in Lucifer's face. "WHAT?"

"I told you I didn't have any good news," the Devil said, calmly wiping his face with a napkin.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Um, about a month."

Veins popped out of the Angel's head. "And why haven't you done anything to neutralize the problem?"

"Well, it's been kinda hard since something -- or, should I say, someone -- is making it hard for us to zero in on its location."

"Crayak." Gabriel leaned back with a sigh, placing a hand over his eyes. "You're right; you didn't have any good news. Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

"Something similar to this happens all the time."

The Angel looked up. "What do you mean?"

"Believe it or not, this world has thousands of holes that connect to Crayak's power. Let's call them 'vents'. These vents started appearing about fifty-four years ago and are constantly spewing forth Crayak's power into this world at a certain time every day. Most of them have been sealed by the Magdalan Order, but there are still a lot more out there that haven't been found."

"Fifty-four years ago?" Gabriel said. "That's when Pandemonium's head was taken by Aion."

"Correct. If I remember correctly, the largest of these vents is located here in New York City. Central Park if I'm right."

Gabriel looked as if he was about to faint. "Why haven't I ever heard of this before now?"

Lucifer shrugged. "Probably because there all so small -- and got sealed so quickly -- they got overlooked. Also, the power doesn't stay in this world. If there's noting for the power to anchor itself to, it simply disappears back into the vent. You know, like a geyser almost."

"I see. Yes, I suppose that would make sense. You said the Magdalan Order knows of this power. Do they know of its origins?"

"No, they don't. The humans have their own theory on Crayak's power, which they call 'miasma', and where it comes form. Luckily for us, that theory is wrong."

Gabriel nodded. "That does make things a lot easier for us in the long run."

"Too true. But, what I want to know is, who or what could be powerful enough to contain Crayak's power."

"That is the million dollar question," Gabriel said.

"Well, we know it's not a human, they would die after coming into contact with the miasma."

"Could it be one of your demons? Remember, you were able to create them by using some of Crayak's power."

Lucifer sternly shook his head. "No, definitely not. Pandemonium and I made sure that could never happen."

"So now what? Do you have any plans on how to neutralize the host?"

"Do you mean neutralizing the host right now, this very day?" Gabriel nodded. "No, I don't. But..."

The Angel cocked an eyebrow. "But what?"

Lucifer sighed and looked the Angel in the eyes. "It's a dangerous plan. And if it doesn't work, we won't live to regret it."

Gabriel nodded to show that he was listening.

"All right. The only way I see us putting a stop to this problem is to let Crayak possess the host-body, then destroy it the second he does."

"Are you INSANE?" the Angel bellowed. "We can't do that! I can hardly believe you're even suggesting we do this!"

"We don't have much of a choice!" Lucifer shouted back. "As long as Crayak is still trying to possess the host's body, he's going to hide it's presence from us! Hell, I was lucky just to notice the power surge when it first appeared!"

Gabriel put his head in his hands. "There has to be another way. There just has to be!"

"I wish there was," Lucifer said. "But, I don't see any other options left open to us."

"We're going to be taking a very large risk in doing this. If we fail, we won't get a second chance."

"I know," Lucifer said, looking out across Central Park. "None of us will get a second chance at anything."

-----------------------------

Eden, the Sinners' Paradise

Joshua sat on the edge of Eden and hummed to himself as the wind blew around him and ruffled his light blond hair. He always loved to come to here, it made him feel like he was on top of the world. The only drawback was a certain hyperactive, overly-energetic cat-demon named Shader. The moment he, Aion, Fiore and Genai arrived, she had pounced on him, squeezing him so tight that he thought he heard something within him crack. It had taken him a good ten minuets to get Shader off of him before he could get some time to himself.

After the death of Rizelle, Aion had decided to move everything to Eden in order to prevent the Magdalan Order from finding them. They had been snooping around San Francisco and were getting dangerously close to finding their location. The first one to leave had been Shader and all of her equipment. It had taken her a full month just to move it all from the beach house. Aion, himself, Fiore and the last of the Sinners had brought up the rear. The second he stepped through the gate, Shader had pounced, holding him the way she had the first time they had met each other.

(Never thought I'd have to run from Shader again,) he mused. (Even though she saw me almost everyday at the beach house, she grabbed me like I had been gone for years.)

Joshua smiled at the memory of his first encounter with Shader. His humming soon became singing as another memory surfaced. A memory of warm sunny days, late afternoon picnics, and the childish games he would play with the two people he had looked up to, respected and loved the most.

Chrono, and his sister, Rosette.

_"None sing so wildly well_

_As the angel Israfel._

_And the giddy stars (so legends tell),_

_Ceasing their hymns attend the spell_

_Of his voice, all mute._

_"Tottering above_

_In her highest noon,_

_The enamored moon_

_Blushes with love._

_"Yes, Heaven is thine; but this_

_Is a world of sweets and sours;_

_Our flowers are merely-flowers,_

_And the shadow of thy perfect bliss_

_Is the sunshine of ours."_

"That was beautiful, Lord Joshua."

The teenage Apostle blinked and looked behind him, a smile coming to his lips. "Hello, Fiore. Listening to me sing again?"

"Yes. I hope you don't mind."

Joshua shook his head. "Not at all, my dear. But I'm rather surprised you don't get tired of that song. It's the only one that I know and I sing it all the time."

"I could never get tired of listening to your voice, Lord Joshua," she confessed.

Joshua felt his cheeks heat up. "Heh. You sure know how to make someone feel appreciated, Fiore."

Fiore noticed the slight pink in Joshua's cheeks and bowed her head. "Forgive me, Lord Joshua, I did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable with my comment."

"There's no need to apologize." Joshua held out his hand to her. "Would you care to join me? I'd like to have some company."

Fiore took his had and sat next to him, her feet dangling off the ledge. The two sat in comfortable silence, watching the clouds pass by and the sun as it started to set, painting the sky orange and purple.

"Tell me, Fiore," Joshua said, breaking the silence, "how long have we known each other?"

"Exactly four years, three months and twelve days," she answered automatically.

Joshua couldn't help but smile. "And in all that time, you've always been beside me. Even during the worst of my fits."

"It is my duty, Lord Joshua."

Joshua frowned. "Your duty," he echoed, his voice cracking slightly. "Is that the only reason you've stayed with me so long? Because it's your duty?"

"No. I have another, more personal, reason." Fiore took one of Joshua's hands in her one and gave in a squeeze. "I stayed because; I wanted to be by your side. Always."

Joshua smiled and squeezed back. "Thank you, Fiore."

Fiore smiled and leaned in close, resting her head on his shoulder. Joshua was a bit taken aback by her sudden forwardness, but smiled none-the-less and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

"Fiore," Joshua murmured after a moment of silence.

"Yes, Lord Joshua?"

"When I've helped Aion achieve his goal, and I'm reunited with Rosette again, I want you to meet her."

"Are you sure that is what you want, Lord Joshua?"

Joshua nodded. "It is. You'll like her, Fiore, I'm sure you will. And I'm sure Rosette will love you just as much as I do."

Fiore blushed and bowed her head. "I-If that is what you want..."

Joshua reached out and put a hand under Fiore's chin, tilting it up so he could look into her chocolate-brown eyes. "It is. I would like that very much, Fiore. Very much indeed."

Fiore drew in a breath, her blush darkening. There was something different in Joshua's eyes. Something she had never seen before. Something that was directed towards her. Fiore felt her heart speed up as Joshua leaned in close, his eyes drifting shut. Her own eyes closed when his lips met hers, softly at first, then increasing in pressure when she didn't try and pull away.

Fiore softly moaned at the increase of pressure and the fire that erupted inside of her. She wanted to whine in protest when Joshua abruptly pulled away, his wide, ocean-blue eyes staring into her own half-lidded, chocolate-brown ones.

"Fi-Fiore, I'm sorry! I don't... I don't know what came over me! I didn't mean to force myself--"

Joshua ceased his babbling when Fiore pressed a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him.

"Please do not apologize, Lord Joshua. There is no reason to. This is something you wanted, was it not?"

Joshua's face turned magenta. "Yes, it was. But I still shouldn't have--"

"Then it's all right," she said, her calm voice cutting off his own panic-filled one. "You cannot force yourself onto someone who wanted the same thing."

Joshua blinked. "You wanted it as well?"

Fiore nodded. "And, if it pleases you, I would like to continue."

Smiling, the Apostle reached out and put a hand behind Fiore's neck, pulling her close until their noses were touching. "That would make me very happy," he whispered before sealing his lips over hers.

Fiore moaned again and returned Joshua's kiss with equal passion, the fire erupting within her once again. The two continued their embrace as the sky turned black and the stars started to come out one by one. The havens seemed to smile down on the two as they sought comfort in each other, temporary filling the hole in both their hearts.

-----------------------------

Aion frowned as Joshua and Fiore shared their heated kiss. As he watched the two, he remembered Viede once commenting that 'people who are missing something were drawn to each other'. Now more than ever, he believed that. But, for some reason, Fiore and Joshua's closeness was bothering him. Why was that?

"They really are cute together, aren't they?"

"Gah!" Aion recoiled in surprise and gripped is chest. "Damn it, Shader, why do you have to be so sneaky?"

The cat-demon shrugged. "Sorry, it's my nature. Nothing I can do about that."

Aion returned his gaze to the two humans as they stood and, hand in hand, walked down the steps towards the living areas of Eden. Aion frowned again.

"Stop it!" Shader suddenly snapped, jerking Aion's attention back to her. "Don't you dare look at them like that!"

The Sinner raised a pale eyebrow. "Like what?"

"You KNOW what I'm talking about," Shader nearly screamed, her voice thick with emotion. "You looked at Chrono the same way when he started getting close to Mary! Remember?"

Aion flinched and looked away, folding his arms over his chest. "Of course I remember. How could I forget Chrono's betrayal?"

Shader's mouth dropped open. "Betrayal? How could you call what he did 'betrayal'?"

"He refused to follow a direct order that I gave him. He strayed from the path--"

"He did no such thing!" Shader finally shouted, tears welling in her eyes. "He was only searching for another one! One that wouldn't put Mary's life in danger. And for whatever reason, you couldn't see -- or didn't want to see -- that same option! And because of your narrow-mindedness, Mary was killed and Chrono is slowly dying! Don't you feel any kind of regret for it at all? He's your brother, Aion! Your brother!"

"I know that, Shader!" Aion raged, whirling on the cat-demon, his violet eyes flashing. "I know that Chrono is my brother! I know that better than anyone! We were hatched from the SAME EGG! But he questioned my orders and I couldn't have my sword going against me. I did what I did for the sake of our dream." Aion took a deep breath and leaned against the doorway to the observatory. "I have no regrets."

Shader took a few deep breaths, trying her best to calm down. "I'm sorry, Aion," she said, cat ears drooping. "I didn't mean to yell at you like that. It's just that, I've had this on my chest for fifty-four years and..."

The cat-demon drifted off when Aion placed a hand on her head and scratched behind on of her ears. "It's all right. I guess you have every reason in the world to be mad at me. But what's done is done and it can't be undone. All we can do now is move forward. Right?"

Shader sniffed one last time and wiped the wetness from her eyes, nodding in agreement.

"I'm glad you agree with me." Pushing himself off the wall, Aion walked down the hall halfway before he stopped. "Listen, Shader. Just because I don't have any regrets about the decisions I made, doesn't mean I enjoyed making them. Chrono may have been one of us but he's not anymore. He's our enemy now. And the sooner you accept this truth, the easier it will make things."

Shader waited until she could no longer hear Aion's footsteps before she slid down the wall and drew her legs close to her chest, resting her head on her knees. After a few moments, she lifted her face to the starry sky, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Sorry, Aion," she whispered. "But, I can't think of Chrono as an enemy. I just can't. If you're going to kill him, you'll have to do it without my help."

Rising to her feet, Shader wiped the tears from her eyes and headed for her room, intending on getting a full nights worth of sleep for once.

-----------------------------

Magdalan Order Headquarters, New York Branch

"Chrono, It's me. I'm coming in."

The fully grown demon didn't even so much a flinch at Azmaria's whispered warning. Even as the young Apostle quietly entered his room and sat down next to him on his bed, he didn't so much a bat an eyelash. He just continued to stare blankly at the wall, showing no signs of life at all.

"Would you like me to fix your hair?" she asked, trying to get some kind of reaction out of him. "I know I'm not as good as Rosette, but it's better than just letting it fall completely out."

Again, she was answered with silence. Determined not to let that stop her, Azmaria moved to her knees and positioned herself behind Chrono, untying his ribbon. Although not as skilled as Rosette was at fixing his hair, she still managed to make it look decent.

Moving to sit next to him again, Azmaria looked up at Chrono's face and sighed dejectedly. It was hopeless. Ever since the attack on the convent by Rizelle a month ago, a gap had opened up between Chrono and Rosette that put the Grand Canyon to shame. While Rosette had immersed herself in her work to hide her pain, Chrono had shut himself off from everyone. He never left the Elder's hut anymore and his once fiery-maroon eyes were now dull and lifeless. And Azmaria was afraid that if this kept up, Chrono would become nothing more than an empty shell of his former self.

"How's Rosette doing?" Chrono suddenly asked, his voice scratchy and dry from almost a month without use.

Azmaria blinked in astonishment. This had been the first time the demon had spoken to her ever since his self-induced exile from everyone. Quickly regaining her composure, the Apostle hurried to think of an answer before Chrono shut himself off again.

"To be honest," she said, lowering her eyes to her lap, "I don't really know. On the outside, she still acts like Rosette around everyone. But... other times, when she's alone or thinks no one is looking, I can see a great amount of pain in her eyes. I've even caught her crying in her sleep a few times."

"I... see," was all he said.

Azmaria mentally slapped herself for letting that last part slip. Chrono was going through a hard enough time as it was, he didn't need to hear about Rosette's nightly crying sessions. How she cried uncontrollably, his name escaping in between sobs and the pocket watch clutched tightly in her hands. The Apostle was jousted from her thoughts when the mattress suddenly shifted.

"Chrono? Where are you going?" she asked the demon as he walked towards the door.

The Sinner didn't say anything. Instead he quickly left the room without another word.

Azmaria sat rooted to her spot, barely believing what had just taken place. Chrono had talked -- he had finally talked! And he had left his room. She didn't know where he was going, but she hoped it was to find a way to patch things up between himself and Rosette.

Smiling to herself, Azmaria hopped of the bed and started to leave the room when something caught her eye. It was Chrono's jacket. In his hast leave, he had forgotten to take it with him. Grabbing the piece of clothing off the floor, she quickly left the Elder's hut and scanned the grounds for Chrono. She caught sight of his violet hair before it disappeared into the main building.

Tucking the jacket under her arm, Azmaria took off towards the building, hoping to catch up to Chrono before he got too far.

-----------------------------

"Come in," Sister Kate called, glancing up from her paperwork. "Chrono? What are you doing here?" she asked, once the demon walked in and came to stand in front of her desk.

"I need to talk with you, Sister Kate. It's very important," he said, his voice still slightly scratchy.

"Of course," she said, putting her pen down. "How can I help you?"

"I think... I think it's time that I left the Order."

Sister Kate sighed. "I thought this was going to happen. Am I safe to say that this decision was brought on due to the fact that the Contract between you and Rosette is broken?"

Chrono was shocked. "You knew?" Sister Kate nodded. "How long?"

"Only for a couple of weeks. I had a suspicion that something was wrong when Rosette started going on missions without you. But it wasn't until I saw that the pocket watch she always has with her was dead that my suspicions were confirmed."

Chrono shook his head. "All this time and you said nothing. Why?"

Sister Kate thought for a few moments before saying, "I suppose it was because I wanted to see if the two of you could fix things by yourselves."

Chrono chuckled dryly. "I guess things didn't turn out the way you had hoped?"

"No, they did not," she said, sadly. "Tell me, Chrono, what will you do when you leave here? Where will you go?"

"I still want to help Rosette find Joshua and stop Aion, but... I can't do it from here anymore. My presence here is doing nothing but causing Rosette pain. So, I'm going to San Francisco as originally planned and see if I can find any clues on Joshua and Aion's whereabouts."

"Is there nothing I can do to make you change your mind?"

(Not unless you can change the past,) he thought.

Aloud he said, "No, there is not. I've made my decision."

Sister Kate sighed. "I'm sorry to hear that, Chrono, I really am. I'll arrange for some transportation for you so you get to San Francisco. I will also get into contact with Father Gilliam; he's the head of the Magdalan Order's San Francisco branch. I'll let him know of the situation at hand and that he should be expecting you soon. I'm sure he'll lend you some help and a place to stay."

"Thank you, Sister Kate. I guess this is goodbye."

"Chrono, wait," the Sister said, stopping the demon at her office doors.

Chrono turned slightly, looking at her over his shoulder. "Yes?"

"I'm going to arrange for you to leave later on tomorrow evening so you'll have time to say goodbye to everyone here. Is that all right?"

Chrono frowned slightly. "I... I don't know if that's such a good idea, Sister Kate. I really need to leave here as soon as possible--"

"Please, Chrono," she said, rather forcefully.

Chrono was silent for a moment before he gave in. "All right, I guess I can do that."

Sister Kate smiled. "Thank you, Chrono. I'm sorry it has to be this way."

The demon nodded. "Yeah, so am I."

Chrono pushed the door open but paused when he felt it catch on something. Glancing down, he saw his red jacket caught under the door.

(How did this get here?) he wondered, picking it off the floor.

Looking down the hall, his eyes widened when he caught a flash of lavender hair as it disappeared around the corner.

"Azmaria..."

-----------------------------

Azmaria ran from Sister Kate's office, not believing what she had just overheard. Chrono was leaving. LEAVING! Without anything being resolved between him and Rosette. How could he do that? It wasn't right! Not right at all! She finally reached the courtyard and collapsed against the stone well, face buried in her hands as she let it all out.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed there, crying her eyes out as the sun set and the stars winked into existence. The young Apostle's throat started to become sore and her eyes began to sting from so much crying. But, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't stop.

"Azmaria?"

The girl's head snapped up and around, bringing her face to face with Chrono. Without another word, she launched herself at him, arms wrapping around his torso and face buried into his stomach. A whole new round of tears fell from her eyes and began to soak through his shirt.

"Don'tgodon'tgodon'tgodon'tgodon'tgoDON'TGO!" she wailed, over and over again, her grip on him tightening.

Chrono sighed and kneeled down so he was eye level with her. "I'm sorry, Azmaria," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her. "But, I have to leave. I'm not doing myself or Rosette any good by staying."

"So that's it then?" she hiccupped. "You're just going to give up? Just run away without a fight? Without reconciling with Rosette?"

"It's not that easy," he said, pulling back to look in her eyes, which were red and puffy from crying. "Believe me, Azmaria, I want to reconcile with Rosette, I really do. But, I can never find the chance to. She's always out on missions or making sure to stay as far away from me as possible. And I'm pretty sure my alienation from everyone didn't help matters any."

Azmaria suddenly pulled back, blinking, an idea forming in her head. "Chrono, if I could get you and Rosette alone together, would you try and talk with her?"

"Azmaria, I told you, it's not that easy--"

"Well, would you?" she pressed, cutting him off.

He nodded. "Yes. Yes, I would."

The young girl smiled then ran off, shouting, "Don't move, I'll be right back!"

Chrono was bewildered. "Azmaria, wait! Where're you going?"

He never got an answer back and he didn't need one. He knew exactly where she was going. Sighing, the demon shrugged into his jacket and sat down on the well, dreading what Azmaria had in mind.

-----------------------------

It didn't take Azmaria long to locate Rosette. The young exorcist-in-training found her friend and mentor at the indoor shooting range. She stood at the doorway watching Rosette as she shot the artificial poltergeists that the Elder's machine created.

"Oh, yeah!" she yelled once the timer stopped. "Perfect score once again! I'm the bee's knees all right!"

"Um... Rosette?"

"Huh? Oh, hey, Azmaria. Come on in," the blond exorcist said, loading another magazine into her Colt. "Kinda late to be up, isn't it?"

"Ah, yeah. I, uh, couldn't sleep," she lied.

Rosette looked at Azmaria for a moment then shrugged, racking a round into the chamber. "Want to try?" she asked, holding the .45 out to the Apostle.

Azmaria looked at the offered gun. "Huh? Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yeah, it's Jake. I should warn you though; it's got a lot more of a kick than your .32 does. Still want to give it a shot?"

"Sure," Azmaria said, taking the gun. "It's a little heavy."

"Not surprising. But I was shooting fully loaded revolvers by the time I was thirteen, so this will be good practice for you." Rosette winked. "Just don't tell anyone. Technically, the only one who can authorize an apprentice to shoot a gun this size is an instructor. But, I don't think anyone will mind right now."

"Okay."

Rosette smiled. "Alright then, step up to the firing line."

Azmaria did as she was told and waited.

"Remember the way I taught you how to aim?" Rosette asked. The Apostle nodded. "Good. Now take aim."

Azmaria brought the pistol up, hands shaking slightly due to its weight. Closing one eye, she lined up the sights then slowly reopened her eye, making sure to keep the sights lined up.

"Okay, ready," she said.

"All right. I'm gonna control the targets from here. Don't worry about a time limit; just concentrate on hitting the target."

"Okay."

Rosette turned to the control panel and twisted a few knobs. An artificial poltergeist appeared in front of Azmaria and she sighted in. Keeping her breathing calm and steady, she aimed for the targets center and squeezed the trigger. The recoil took the small girl by surprise and she fell backwards with a yell and landed on her rear.

"Owwww," she groaned, rubbing her posterior. "That hurt."

"I told you to watch out for the kick," Rosette said, helping Azmaria to her feet. "But, on the brighter side, you hit the target. Good shot."

"Thanks," Azmaria said, handing over the Colt.

Rosette took the offered gun and walked back to the control panel. Checking the remaining bullets, she set the controls and waited. Seven targets popped and she rapidly shot off the remaining Sacreds with deadly precision.

Azmaria began clapping. "That was great, Rosette."

Rosette chuckled and put a hand behind her head, embarrassed. "Thanks, Azmaria. But it really wasn't anything special."

"Don't say that. Your marksmanship skills are some of the best I've ever seen. I just hope I'll be that good one day."

"You will," Rosette said, breaking down her gun for cleaning. "Stick with me and I'll make you the second best markswoman in the whole Order."

Azmaria smiled and walked up to stand next to the nun as she cleaned her Colt. While watching Rosette work, Azmaria tried to think of a way to bring up Chrono. She knew that there was no way Rosette would just come out and talk about him. If she was going to pull this off, she would have to be sneaky about it. And she knew just the way.

"Um, Rosette?"

"Hm?"

"I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."

Rosette paused in her cleaning and turned to look at the Apostle. "Well, sure. You know you can talk to me about anything, Azmaria."

"Really," Azmaria sighed. "I'm glad. The truth is that I'm rather nervous and embarrassed to talk about it."

Rosette raised an eyebrow at the way that Azmaria was acting. Her face was flushed pink and she kept fiddling with the hem of her exorcist uniform, keeping it pressed close to her--!

The blond-hired nun smiled, finally understanding what was wrong with her friend. "There's no reason to be embarrassed, Azmaria. All girls go through this. And I'll talk to you about it all you want."

"Really? You promise? You'll talk to me about it all I want?"

Rosette smiled and patted the girl on the head. "Of course I promise. I'll talk to you about it. All night if I have to."

Azmaria smiled and let out an inward cheer. (Yes, it worked! I'm sorry for having to trick you, Rosette. Please, forgive me.)

"So, where would you like to start first?"

Azmaria took a breath to calm herself then looked into Rosette's eyes. "I want to talk to you about Chrono."

-----------------------------

Outside at the stone well, Chrono sneezed loudly.

"Gah," he sighed, running a finger under his nose. "Someone must be talking about me."

-----------------------------

Rosette's mouth dropped open and she nearly dropped the gun parts she still had in her hand.

"W-what? Where did that come from? And why would you want to talk about HIM? I thought you wanted to talk about your... your..."

Azmaria slowly shook her head. "I never said I wanted to talk about that, Rosette. You just assumed it."

Rosette turned away from Azmaria, going back to work on her gun. "Forget it. I'll talk about anything you want, but I refuse to talk about him."

Azmaria glared at Rosette's back. "You promised." The nun paused. "And you've always told me that when a promise is made, it can never be broken. You weren't lying to me when you said that, were you?"

There was a tense silence between them before Rosette sighed and put her gun down. "All right, Azmaria, you win. Now, why do you want to talk about the worthless demon anyway?"

The Apostle flinched at the iciness in Rosette's voice when she called Chrono a 'worthless demon'. But she steadied herself, knowing that if she wanted to help these two reconcile with each other, she was going to have to take what Rosette said about Chrono with a grain of salt.

"Chrono's leaving the Order tomorrow, Rosette. And, from the way things sound, he's never coming back."

"Really?" Rosette said softly. "Is that right?"

Azmaria nodded. "Yes."

Rosette snorted and focused on her gun again. "Well good for him. I hope he never comes back just like you said."

Azmaria's hands went to her mouth. "You don't really mean that, do you, Rosette?"

The exorcist nodded. "Every word of it. It took that poor sap long enough to realize that I didn't want him here. And with him gone, that's one less problem I have to worry about."

Azmaria couldn't believe what she was hearing! This wasn't going the way she had planned at all! Rosette honest-to-God sounded like she didn't care what happened to Chrono at all. Biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying, the lavender-haired girl walked over to stand beside Rosette and looked up at her face.

The girl immediately let loose a mental sight of relief. Rosette was lying. Not only to her, but to herself as well. And it was showing plain as day on her face. Her bottom lip was trembling slightly and she had tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Azmaria also noticed that her hands were shacking so bad that she couldn't continue with her cleaning.

She was crumbling. All that was needed was one final push and Azmaria was sure that she could get Rosette to stop lying to herself and make up with Chrono. Looking away from the blonds' face, she saw what she could use for that final push. She couldn't really say she was proud of what she was about to do, but this was for them, for the only family she had left.

"Rosette, can I ask you something?" she asked, softly.

"Sure," Rosette said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Do you really hate Chrono as much as you say you do?

"O-Of course I do," the blond exorcist said, her voice starting to waiver at her own obvious lie. "I said that I did, didn't I?"

"Then tell me this," Azmaria said, reaching out to touch Rosette's arm, causing the exorcist to face her.

(Please let this work,) she silently prayed.

"If you hate Chrono that much, and don't care what happens to him at all," she said, tapping a finger against the glass face of the pocket watch. "Then why are you still wearing this?"

Rosette's eyes widened, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to find an excuse for wearing the watch, but having none. She felt a tear slide down her face and jammed her eyes shut.

(No! I won't cry over him anymore! I won't! Not after what he did. I can't... I can't...)

Rosette opened her eyes when she felt Azmaria's hand on her cheek.

"It's all right, Rosette," the crimson-eyed girl said. "You don't have to hold it in anymore. Let it out."

And she did. Falling to her knees, Rosette pulled Azmaria into a hug and cried into her shoulder. She let it all out. All the lies she had told herself. All the pain she had kept locked up inside. She let it all go.

"You really do care about Chrono, don't you?" Azmaria whispered.

Rosette nodded.

"And you want him to stay, don't you?"

Again she nodded.

"Because you love him. Right?"

"Yes," Rosette hiccupped. "Yes, I do love him. I don't want him to leave."

Azmaria pulled back and wiped away Rosette's tears, smiling. "Then go and tell him."

-----------------------------

Rosette found Chrono right where Azmaria said he would be, at the well where she had left him. The demon was leaning back on his hands and had his gaze fixed to the stars, a look of deep concentration on his face. The blonds' hands started to itch when she saw his braid and the condition it was in. She had to stomp down on the irresistible urge to walk over there and start braiding his hair again.

But that would have to wait for later. First, she was going to have to apologize to Chrono. To forgive him for what he did and try and convince him to stay with her.

(Easer said than done,) she thought sourly.

Rosette pushed the depressing thoughts from her head. She had to stay focused. This was her one and only chance to fix things between herself and Chrono and she was not going to waist it. But first she was going to have to figure out what to say to him. And that was going to be hardest part.

As Rosette struggled to find something to say to Chrono, the demon suddenly straitened up and turned around to face her. Ocean-blue eyes met fiery-maroon for the first in over a month. Eyes that were wide with disbelief at what they were seeing.

"R-Rosette?" Chrono whispered.

"Hi," she said, lamely.

Rosette felt her hands start to itch again and she ground her teeth together, trying to hold onto the last little bit of willpower she had left.

"Can... can I sit down?"

"Sure, if you want," he said, moving over to give her room.

Rosette plopped down next to Chrono. The two sat in silence for what seemed like hours. Neither could find a thing to say to the other one, too big of a rift had opened between them. Chrono kept his head bowed and tried his best not to make eye contact with the nun.

Rosette, on the other hand, couldn't stop looking at him. Her eyes kept drifting back and forth between his face and messy braid. The itching in her hands was becoming unbearable. Finally she couldn't take anymore. Pulling off her gloves, she grabbed Chrono's braid and gave it a harsh yank, causing him to move closer to her so he could keep his hair in his head.

"Ouch! Rosette! What are you--! Ow, that hurts, damn it!" he yelled in protest.

"Shut-up," she growled, pulling the ribbon out of his hair. "Just sit still and keep quite."

The demon obeyed. As Rosette ran her fingers through is hair, smoothing it out and separated it out into three separate strands, he didn't so much as move a mussel. He did, however, enjoy the feeling of Rosette's closeness again. He had missed it more than he thought possible and relished in the feelings that had dulled over the past month.

"Finished," Rosette said, tying off his final plait with the ribbon.

Chrono's response was automatic.

"Thanks, Rosette. You did a good job, as usual."

Rosette automatically responded as well.

"Don't I always?"

The two looked at each other then quickly turned away, laughing nervously.

"I had forgotten," Chrono whispered, after a moment of silence, "just how good that felt. I really missed it."

"Me too," Rosette whispered as well.

The two drifted into another period of silence. Finally, Rosette sighed and asked the question she had wanted to ask ever since she left the pistol range.

"Are you really leaving tomorrow?"

Chrono stared at Rosette for a moment, studying her, before he looked away. "Yes."

More silence. "Why?"

"Because... you don't need me anymore. And my presence here is doing nothing but hurting you."

"So you think leaving is going to fix all that?" Rosette asked angrily.

"Staying here isn't making it any better," he snapped.

Rosette's mouth snapped shut. He was right; him being here wasn't making things better for either of them. But, that was then and this was now. And now, she needed him to stay. She WANTED him to stay.

"Why did you do it?" she finally asked. "Why did you break our Contract? You knew how much it meant to me. So why?"

"Because," he said, turning to look at Rosette, "I didn't see our Contract the same way you did."

"What...?"

"I hated that pocket watch, Rosette. I despised its purpose, its very existence. I still do. I hated waking up every morning knowing that, slowly but surely, I was draining your life away. And that watch was a constant reminder of it. But, most of all, I hated myself for giving in to your wishes and making the Contract."

Rosette stared at Chrono in shock. He kept talking, never taking his eyes off of her.

"I made a promise to myself that day we made our Contract, Rosette. I promised to protect you for as long as I could. And to me, that also meant protecting you from myself. So when I learned about another way I could keep myself alive without draining away any more of your Astral energy, I remembered my promise and jumped at the chance."

Chrono rose to his feet and stared off across the convent grounds. "At the time, I thought what I was doing was the right thing. But I was wrong. All I did was cause you more pain than I thought imaginable. And the only way that I see to somehow fix what I did to you is to remove the source of all your pain. Me."

Kneeling in front of her, Chrono took Rosette's hands in his own and looked into her eyes. "I'll find Joshua for you, Rosette, and I'll bring him back to you. And after I've done that, I'll leave. You'll never see me again. That much I can promise you."

Standing, the crimson-eyed demon gave Rosette a sad smile, tears threatening to fall from his eyes at any given moment. "Please have a long and happy life, Rosette. That's all I ask of you. Goodbye."

As Chrono walked away, Rosette started to panic. She wanted to go after him, but her body refused to move.

(Wait!)

Tears started to slide down her face...

(Don't go!)

...as Chrono's form began to disappear into the surrounding darkness.

(Don't leave me!)

Something inside her snapped. She launched herself from the well and finally found her voice.

"Chrono, wait!"

The demon turned around it time to get an armful of Rosette, her arms securely locking around his waist and her face buried in his chest.

"Don't go," she sobbed. "Please, don't go. Don't leave me alone."

Chrono looked down at Rosette's head, his arms staying securely at his side. "Rosette..."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I said those things. I didn't mean them. I swear to God I didn't. I was just so upset..."

Chrono placed his hands on Rosette's shoulders and pushed her back so he could look into her eyes.

"Are you sure that's what you want, Rosette?" She looked at him in confusion. "I mean me, staying here with you?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's what I want more than anything in the world. Don't you understand? My life won't be a happy one unless you're living it with me."

Chrono smiled slightly. "All right, but it might be difficult."

The nun tilted her head. "Why?"

"We're not bounded by a Contract anymore. I doubt the Order's going to let me stay now."

"I don't care. We'll think of something. I know we will."

Chrono released Rosette's shoulders and stepped back. "Chrono, what are you...?"

"I have an idea," he said. "But, weather or not we use it is entirely up to you."

"Chrono?"

The demon transformed and kneeled before her. His amber eyes locked with her ocean-blue ones, witch were wide with disbelief. _"I wish to make another Contract with you, Rosette Christopher. In its bindings, my heart and my soul will belong to you forever. But, in return, yours will belong to me as well. Do you accept the terms of this Contract?"_

The tears came again, but this time they were tears of happiness. "Yes," she choked out. "Yes, I accept the terms."

Chrono nodded. _"Very well."_

Rising to his feet, the Sinner stepped up to Rosette and placed a hand on her shoulder and tilted her chin up with the other.

_"Then let us seal the Contract, Rosette."_

Before the nun could utter a word, Chrono's lips sealed over hers, making Rosette gasp in surprise. The demon took advantage of this and deployed his tongue into her mouth, memorizing every inch of her honey-filled cavern. Rosette soon returned the kiss with equal passion, her arms coming up to secure themselves around Chrono's neck while his arms wrapped themselves around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

The two broke apart, foreheads resting against each other and breathing heavily. Their eyes remained locked together, speaking volumes that the owners couldn't voice on their own. Until Chrono found the ability to finally say something.

_"I love you, Rosette,"_ he said between breaths. _"My darling little Contractor."_

Rosette, whose cheeks were already pink, turned a lovely shade of fuchsia and she gave him a smile that was brighter than the sun.

"I love you, too, Chrono. My handsome Sinner."

The two kissed again, rekindling and strengthening a bond that both humans and demons looked down on. But, at that moment, on that starry, starry night, Chrono and Rosette couldn't have cared less.

-----------------------------

Sister Kate watched the scene between Chrono and Rosette with a small smile of satisfaction on her face. From her position at the entrance of the convent's main building, she could watch everything without being detected.

"It seems everything worked out for the best after all."

Sister Kate felt her heart leap into her throat and slapped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming.

"Fa-Fa-Father Remington! What are you doing here?" she hissed, trying to get her heart back under control.

The priest was leaning casually against a stone pillar, his eyes fixed on Chrono and Rosette. "Checking up on those two. But they seem to be doing better now."

Sister Kate looked back at the two. "Yes, it does. I guess I won't need to call Father Gilliam after all."

Father Remington raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing.

"It's funny," she said softly. "When they first arrived here, and Rosette told me about Chrono and their Contract, I was furious. I kept thinking to myself, how could a child let herself be bound to a demon like that? And how could she trust him so? I wanted nothing more than for the Contract to be broken and have Chrono sent away. But, before I knew it, I found myself becoming more at ease with Chrono's presence. I began cheering for them and wishing for their happiness." The head nun sighed. "Tell me, Father, do my actions make me a hypocrite?"

Father Remington shook his had. "Not at all. You were merely reacting off what you had been taught. The mainstream stereotype that all demons are evil. That they trick people and kill them. And while this is true for most, there are some -- like Chrono -- who are different from the others."

Sister Kate nodded. "I'm glad. Even someone like Chrono, who has suffered so much, deserves a little happiness in his life. And I'm happy that he finally found it."

Father Remington turned his gaze back to Chrono and Rosette, who were still locked in their heated kiss.

"So am I, Sister Kate. So am I."

(End of Part Four)

------------------------------

Author's Rant: Jeez, that took me a long time to write. I don't know why, but, writing an intimate scene between Joshua a Fiore was just plain HARD! I guess it was because I was trying to find a balance between two completely different versions of the characters. In the anime, Joshua was just plain nuts half the time and Fiore acted more like Rei Ayanami from Evangelion than anything else. But, in the manga, they acted, well, normal. As normal as they could get anyway. So, I'm hoping that they didn't seem OOC too much.

In regards to the quote at the beginning of this chapter, I got it from a wallpaper I have on my computer. But for the life of me, I can't remember where I got the damn thing. If anyone knows the website and creator of the wallpaper, please let me know so I can properly give them credit. Thank you.

Next chapter:

-- Something dark and wicked this way comes

See ya next chapter.


	5. Darkness

I do not own Chrono Crusade, it belongs to Daisuke Moriyama. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow.

This story takes place before the team leaves for San Francisco. After that it takes a sharp left into my own Alternate Universe. I will be using elements from both the Manga and Anime. Enjoy. C&C is appreciated.

Text Key:

() -- thoughts

'**Bold**'-- sound effects

_Speech_ -- Chrono/Demons in true form

-----------------------------

Black Sabbath

Part Five: Darkness

By: Anime Otaku

-----------------------------

"_Oh, Chrono, don't be stupid. Darkness isn't anything to fear. Everything's the same as in the light -- it's just harder to see."_

_-Sister Rosette Christopher_

_------------------------------_

Eden, the Sinners' Paradise, 1924

"Knight takes Rook. Check. So, what's your next move going to be, Aion?"

The silver-haired demon frowned, his brows scrunching in concentration. The library on Eden that he and Viede occupied was deadly quite. The perfect atmosphere for a chess game, and to think about their next move. Staring at the board for a while longer, Aion finally saw a move he could make.

"Queen takes Knight. It should be rather obvious," he said, leaning back in his seat. "We're going to take what's ours and attain our freedom."

Viede looked up from the game and stared at his friend. "Are you suggesting that we attack the Magdalan Order head on?"

Aion shrugged. "Why not? With the three of us, plus Fiore and Joshua as backup, it shouldn't be a problem. Also, Joshua's presence there will keep Rosette Christopher occupied while we take the Apostle and leave."

Viede thought a moment before asking, "What about Chrono?"

Aion snorted. "What about him?"

"He could cause us some problems if he transforms."

"Not likely," Aion said. "I know for a fact that Chrono would rather die than drain anymore Astral energy from his precious Contractor. He's as useless as a Pawn on this chess board."

"Careful my friend," Viede warned. "Too much pride could be the cause of your downfall. It could blind you to the threat that is right in front of you."

"I appreciate the warning, Viede, but Chrono will not be a problem for us. I'll make sure of it personally."

Viede shrugged. "Very well. I'll leave it in your hands. Now, do you want to tell me what's troubling you?"

Aion looked up from the board. "Why do you think I'm troubled?"

"You've been walking around Eden with a frown on your face all day. Plus, you're not paying full attention to the game as you normally do. Pawn takes Queen."

Aion made a move without really thinking and stared a Viede. "Am I really that easy to read? Both you and Shader have said something about my moods and it's really starting to piss me off."

"We've known each other for a long time, Aion, practically our whole lives. And if you think that we could go that long without being able to tell when you're troubled, then you're wrong. Now, tell me, my friend, what's wrong?"

Aion closed his eyes, contemplating on weather or not he should tell Viede what was on his mind. The idea wasn't all to appealing to him, but, maybe he could solve his little problem with Viede's help. Two heads were better than one after all and Viede usually had good advice that was worth listing to.

"It's Joshua and Fiore," he admitted. "I don't like how close there becoming."

"It never bothered you before."

Aion frowned. "I know. But now... I don't know; it has an all too familiar ring to it. Like I'm having a bad case of déjà vu."

Viede nodded. "I understand. You're worried that Joshua will start listening to his feeling towards Fiore rather than orders from you."

"Yes! Yes that's it exactly!"

"Just like Chrono did with Mary."

Aion's frown deepened. "Yes, just like Chrono and Mary."

"I can see why you would disapprove of what's happening between Joshua and Fiore, but I don't think you shouldn't worry so much."

"Why not?"

"If you remember, Chrono did what he did because you threatened Mary's life. As long as you don't repeat that same mistake with Fiore, Joshua will do whatever you say. Remember, he still thinks that by helping you, he will create a world where both he and his sister can finally achieve their dream."

"I suppose you're right."

Viede nodded. "I know I am. My move, correct?"

Aion shook himself. "Huh? Oh, yeah, your move."

Viede moved his Pawn. "Checkmate," he said, leaving the table. "Remember, Aion, even the most worthless of Pawns can deal a fatal blow when underestimated."

Aion stared at the chess board, looking between the move he had made and Viede's finishing move. Sighing, he slumped back into his chair and put a hand to his forehead.

(I need to pay more attention to my game from now on,) he thought.

-----------------------------

Fiore awoke -- for the first time that she could remember -- feeling more complete than she had felt in a long time. The aching pain that had been plaguing her since she had arrived at Eden ten years ago had slowly been ebbing away over the past four years. But now, it was almost completely gone. And she was sure that it was because of the young man she was laying beside, her body still wrapped in his warm embrace.

Joshua sighed in contentment when Fiore ran her fingers lightly through his bangs and tightened his hold on her. She smiled down at him and softly kissed his forehead, causing him to stir.

Joshua's eyes slowly opened and looked around the room until they came to rest on Fiore.

"Good morning, Fiore," he whispered, smiling.

"Good morning, Lord Joshua."

Joshua frowned slightly. "Fiore, what did I say earlier? You don't have to call me 'Lord Joshua' when it's just the two of us."

"Please forgive me... Joshua, but it's still taking some getting used to."

"It's all right, I'm not upset. There's no need for you to apologize to me."

The two slipped into a comfortable state of silence, content to be in the other's presence. Fiore would have liked nothing more than to stay where she was all day, but, looking at the clock on the wall, she realized that she couldn't. Very reluctantly she removed herself from Joshua's arms and picked her clothes off the floor.

"Fiore? What are you doing?" Joshua asked, sitting up.

"I have to prepare lunch," she said as she dressed herself. "I have been absent since breakfast and everyone will probably be wondering where I've been."

Joshua couldn't help but frown. (Aw, man. And I was hoping to spend all day with Fiore alone. But, I guess some things can't be helped.)

Fiore smoothed out her dress and glanced in a nearby mirror. She quickly checked her appearance, making a few last-minute adjustments to her hair and bonnet. She turned to excuse herself but stopped when she noticed Joshua's frown. Stepping over to him, she touched his shoulder and when he turned to face her, she leaned in and kissed him. It was quick and passionate and ended all too soon. But she had work to do.

"We can spend time together later this evening when my duties are finished," she told him.

Joshua, cheeks flaming, smiled. "I'm looking forwarded to it."

"So am I," she said. "Now, if you'll please excuse me." Bowing politely to Joshua, Fiore left his room, softly closing the door on her way out.

Joshua waited until the room was empty before he sighed and plopped back on his pillow.

(Fiore is just amazing!) he thought to himself. (I'm so lucky to have someone like that with me.)

Joshua briefly thought about staying in bed all day, but his stomach had other plans for him as it let out a long, loud growl.

"All right," he grumbled, getting out of the bed. "We'll do it your way. But I'm not eating any carrots. I don't care if they are good for me."

After a quick shower, Joshua gathered his clothes off the floor, dressed and stepped outside. A cold gust of wind hit him and he quickly shrugged into his long-coat. He made his way to the top of Eden and headed for the observatory's dinning room. He could already smell Fiore's cooking and could practically taste the food in his mouth.

"Freeze, mister."

Joshua went as stiff as a board and didn't move for a whole minute before he sneaked a peek over his shoulder. Shader was propped against the wall, her arms folded over her chest and staring at him with half-lidded eyes.

"Oh, Shader, it's only you," he said, relaxing.

The cat-demon didn't say anything. Instead she walked over to him and began to examine him from every angel, like he was some sort of lab specimen. Joshua became increasingly uncomfortable under the scientist's gaze and tried to back away from her. Unfortunately, he was stopped when she grabbed his jacket sleeve and pulled him close, inhaling deeply.

"I smell Fiore," she said in her sing-song voice.

Joshua's face turned red and he looked away. "S-so what? Of course you smell her. She's with me almost all the time."

Shader shook her head. "No, no. This time it's different. I just don't smell her on your clothes; she's on your body as well. And the sent is much stronger than it's been before. Now why is that?"

The teenage Apostle started to sweat as the Sinner began pacing slowly around him, her tail swishing back and forth. Finally she came to a stop in front of him, her back turned to him.

"That's it," she said, snapping her fingers. "I know why I smell Fiore all over you. And why it's so strong."

Joshua swallowed hard. "You do?"

"Yep." Shader whirled on him and jammed her finger in his face. "You mated with Fiore last night, didn't you?"

Joshua turned magenta and lunged forward, slapping a hand over the cat-demon's mouth. He bolted away from the door with Shader in tow, her arms flailing in protest. When he reached the back of the observatory, he sat the Sinner down and, after taking a quick look around, removed his hand from her face.

"Owwww," she whined. "That hurt."

"Sorry. But did you have to be so loud?"

"I can't help it! I'm so happy!" Shader squealed, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing. "My little Joshua has finally become a man!"

"Damn it, Shader, get off me!" Joshua protested, pushing her away. "I'm not a child anymore!"

"I know! And last night proves it!" she squealed again.

"Shader," he growled.

"Sorry, sorry. So tell me, are you happy with Fiore as your mate?"

"What? Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Shader shrugged. "I don't know. I just get the feeling that this wasn't planned. Am I right?"

Joshua's shoulders slumped slightly. "Yeah, your right. I didn't plan for anything like this to happen. It just sort of did."

"How?"

Joshua leaned back against the wall. "Fiore and I were going to our rooms and since mine came before hers, we stopped there first to say goodnight before we parted ways. I only meant to give her one last kiss but, before I knew it, it was turning into something more."

The Apostle blew out a breath and brought a hand to his temples and began to massage them. "This is the part that gets confusing. I distinctly remember making love to Fiore, but I also remember feeling as if I was seeing it through two different sets of eyes."

Shader's ears perked up. "What do you mean?"

"I don't really know. It's strange though. Along with the two sets of eyes were also two separate set of emotions that went along with them. One set I know belonged to me because I felt the love that I had for Fiore attached to them. But the other was completely different. I felt a surge of lust so strong that it scared me. That's the best way I know to describe it. Do you have any idea what might have happened to me?"

Shader thought for a moment then adjusted her glasses. "Not offhand. I'm going to need more information to make some sort of educated guess. So let me know if this happens again. Okay?"

Joshua nodded. "Sure, no problem. But could we keep this between us for now? I don't want the others to know about Fiore and me. Plus I don't want Fiore worrying about me too much."

"Sure, Joshua, I won't say a word. I promise."

"Thanks, Shader. I'd better get to the table before everyone starts worrying about me."

Shader watched Joshua walk away with a deep frown on her face. Sighing, she removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes.

"This is bad," she mumbled. "The horns are starting to become more powerful than his Apostle Factor. I wonder how much time we have before the horns take him over completely."

(I need to talk to Fiore as soon as possible,) she thought as she followed after the teenager.

-----------------------------

Lunch with the Sinners was not as lively as it usually was. Aion was deathly quite and Viede hadn't even shown up. Even Genai, who had the table manners of a two-year-old, was strangely quite. Shader tried to lighten the mood by poking fun at Joshua for having to eat his carrots. But that hadn't even gotten a peep out of anyone.

Fiore came and cleared the table and, soon after, the only sound in the entire room was those of the dishes being washed.

"I have an announcement to make," Aion said at last, clearing his throat.

All eyes turned to the demon.

"I've been thinking a lot ever since the death of Rizelle about what our next move should be. We've obviously underestimated our enemy, and that has cost us one of our own. I will not make that mistake again. So, I've decided it is time to take what is ours by using the full weight of our forces. Tonight, we will pay the Magdalan Order a surprise visit so we can acquire our guest."

Joshua's ears seemed to perk up at this. "Aion, does this mean..."

Aion smiled and nodded. "It does. You'll get to see your dear sister again."

Joshua smiled. "Sis..."

"Shader, have the gate ready to transport us to the Order by the end of dinner."

"No problem!" she said. "It'll be ready to go in no time."

Aion nodded and left the room. Genai was soon to follow and Joshua disappeared into the kitchen with Fiore.

Alone at the table, Shader used her sensitive ears to listen in on the conversation between Joshua and Fiore. He seemed to be telling Fiore about seeing his sister again and how he couldn't wait for them to meet. Shader smiled. He sounded so excited about this, but Shader had to wonder if Joshua would even recognize his sister. The last time they had been together was four years ago. And a lot could change in four years. Joshua was proof of that.

When he had first been brought to Eden, Joshua had done nothing but cried. He had cried for his sister, for all the children at a place called Seventh Bell that he had 'stopped'. And, most surprisingly, he had cried for Chrono. He had been asking them -- begging even -- to forgive him for what he had done.

Aion had come to Shader, asking if she knew of a way to stop the horns from taking over Joshua. There was a good chance of that happening if he continued to remain as week-willed as he was. She had suggested the use of a limiter, something or someone who Joshua could latch onto and draw strength from so he could push back the horns' powerful influence. It had been by pure chance that Joshua had met Fiore. She had accidentally stumbled across him as he was having one of his fits.

No one knew how it happened, but -- somehow, someway -- Fiore had calmed the out-of-control Apostle. When Aion learned of this, the decision was made without hesitation. Fiore had become Joshua's limiter and, after four years together, so much more.

Shader was brought out of her memories when she heard the talking in the kitchen stop and it was replaced with a much quieter sound. Carefully getting up, she tip-toed to the door and peeked inside. The cat-demon smiled at what she saw.

Joshua and Fiore were embracing each other and kissing. The soft noise that Shader had heard was Fiore as she moaned.

(Oh, my,) she thought, blushing, (those two are something else.)

The two separated slowly and Fiore whispered something in Joshua's ear that even Shader's sensitive cat ears couldn't pick up. But, whatever it was, Joshua must have liked it. The Apostle was grinning like an idiot and had a faint blush painting his cheeks. He leaned in and gave Fiore a quick peck on the cheek then quickly left.

Shader finally had her chance. "Fi-dear, can I have a moment of your time?" she asked, walking into the kitchen.

Fiore stopped her cleaning and turned around. "Of course, Lady Shader. What do you need?"

"I need to talk to you about Joshua," she said, leaning against the counter. "And about last night, when both of you mated."

Fiore turned red and stammered out, "I-I don't know w-what you're talking about, Lady Shader."

Shader smiled and placed a hand on Fiore's shoulder. "It's okay, Fiore, I already know. Joshua told me, plus I could tell that something was different between the both of you."

Fiore bowed her head. "I see."

"Don't look that way, Fiore; I'm not mad at you. And I'm not going to say anything to anyone else. Joshua made me promise not to."

"Thank you."

"Not a problem. Now, what I want to know is this. When you were mating with Joshua last night, did anything strange happen?"

Fiore thought for a moment then said, "No, not that I can recall... No, wait, something did happen."

Shader's ears perked up.

"Lord Joshua's eyes were a different color. One remained blue while the other was red."

"I see. Anything else?"

Fiore blushed again. "Yes, there was. Lord Joshua was rather... rough with me last night."

Shader looked at Fiore in worry.

The attendant raised her hands. "Oh, no, don't worry. It was nothing violent. He just bit me, that's all."

"Where at?"

"On the neck. It's not even very serious; it'll be gone in a couple of days."

"Can I see it?"

Fiore nodded and tilted her head, moving the collar she wore to the side a bit, reviling two puncture wounds on her neck.

Shader brought a hand to her chin in thought. (Hmmmmm. That's defiantly the mark a demon would make. And since marking is a signature of a demon that has chosen his life-mate, then it's probably the influence of the horns that made him do it.)

"Um, Lady Shader?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you want to know what happened between myself and Lord Joshua last night?"

Shader sighed and took off her glasses, cleaning them on her lab coat. "The horns are starting to take over again."

Fiore gasped. "How is this possible? I thought that with me as his limiter, Lord Joshua wouldn't fully loose control anymore like he did at Seventh Bell."

Shader nodded and replaced her glasses. "In theory, yes, that's how it's supposed to work. For a human at least. But Joshua is more than just a human, he's an Apostle. Throwing something like that into the equation has never really been heard of. If my observations of Joshua over the past fore years are correct, the horns have created an entirely different personality within him. One that relies on the horns' power as an influence for his actions."

"Are we in danger because of my closeness to Lord Joshua?"

"Not at all. I think the only reason that last night happened was because Joshua and the horns both saw you in same light. That is to say, as a lifelong mate. And the horns influenced Joshua to take action in order to make sure that you became his."

Fiore looked as if she was about to cry. "So, you're saying that the only reason Lord Joshua made love to me is because the horns forced him to?"

"No, no, no! I'm not saying that at all! The horns only pushed him into taking action; they did nothing to make the decision for him. In order for the horns to make him do anything, he has to want it first. So, obviously, Joshua had thought about mating with you, he just needed a little nudge to make him actually do it."

Shader took Fiore's hands in her own and looked into the other woman's eyes. "Joshua loves you, Fiore, you know he does. And I know for a fact that the horns have nothing to do with that. You two are perfect for each other, and I can't see either of you with anyone else."

Fiore smiled and pulled Shader into a huge. "Thank you, Lady Shader. Thank you so much. That means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, dear. Now, you go and see Joshua, I'll finish up here."

"But I couldn't..." Fiore began.

Shader waved a finger in her face. "Ah, ah, ah, I won't hear another word of it. The both of you should spend some time together before leaving tonight. I have a feeling it's going to be a rough night."

Fiore bowed politely. "Thank you, Lady Shader. If you'll excuse me then."

Shader watched Fiore leave then turned to the sink.

"Now," she said, pushing up her sleeves, "how does Fiore do this again?"

-----------------------------

Magdalan Order Headquarters, New York Branch

The day was coming to an end and not once had the smile left Rosette's face. Not that she was complaining. She had a lot to smile about after all. She and Chrono were working together again and had formed another Contract that was stronger than the last one. Not only that, she and Chrono had also...

Rosette felt her face heat up when she thought about last night. What she and Chrono had shared was nothing short of magical. She reveled in the feelings that had coursed through her body when the two of them had made love. Despite being in his true form when it happened, Chrono had been extremely gentle with her. They had fallen asleep in each other arms and had awoken with the sunrise. Very reluctantly, Rosette had removed herself from Chrono's embrace and sneaked back to her room.

She was pretty sure that no one had seen her, but for some reason or another, she had a feeling that the Elder would find out about her and Chrono somehow. The old pervert seemed to know everything that happened around the convent grounds. Especially when it involved the girls and their bath time.

Rosette was brought out of her thoughts when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and pull her close to a warm body. The exorcist smiled and leaned into the warmth.

"About time you woke up. I thought you were going to sleep all day."

The Sinner smiled. "I pretty much did. Sunset's real pretty, isn't it?"

"Sure is. It's my favorite part of the day."

Chrono raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought your favorite part of the day was lunchtime."

Rosette growled and reached up and pressed her fists on either side of Chrono's head, giving him a noogie.

"Owowowowowowowowow! Rosette! That hurts! Ouch! All right, I'm sorry! I'll do anything, just stop!"

Rosette smile wickedly. "Anything?"

Chrono swallowed. (Oh, boy.)

"Yeah. Anything."

"All right then." Rosette twisted until she was sitting in Chrono's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Kiss me."

Chrono blinked. "Here? Now?"

Rosette glared. "Yes, here. Yes, now. Do you see anyone else around here?"

Chrono scanned the convent grounds. She was right; they were the only ones that were out this late. Smiling, the demon kept his hold on Rosette and slid to the ground, his back leaning against the well.

"Is that all you want?" he asked, leaning in closer until their noses were touching.

"For now. I'll get the rest later."

Chrono chuckled and kissed her. One of his hands came to rest on the nun's breast and began to massage it gently. Rosette gasped and arched into his touch. Slowly, the demon pulled back from Rosette and removed his hand from her chest.

Rosette, cheeks flushed and breathing heavily, opened her eyes. "Chrono? What...?"

The Sinner smiled and kissed her nose. "Not here and not now. Later. When we won't get caught so easily."

"I'm holding you to that, buster. Don't disappoint me."

"Have I ever before?"

Rosette raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"No, I guess not."

Smiling triumphantly, Rosette turned back to face the setting sun, leaning into Chrono's chest. The two watched the sun until it was gone and the stars started coming out.

"Hey, Chrono," Rosette whispered.

"Hm?"

"Do you want to know what's better than watching a sunset?"

Chrono nodded. "Sure. What is it?"

Rosette twisted in Chrono's lap and snaked her arms around his neck. She pulled him down until their lips were inches apart.

"Sharing it with someone you love."

Without waiting for a response, Rosette moved in and sealed her lips over Chrono's. Before the demon could begin to kiss her back, Rosette pulled away from him and nipped at his bottom lip teasingly.

Chrono chuckled. "You're right. It is better when you share it with someone you love."

Laughing, the two got up and walked towards the girls' dormitory. Chrono stayed with Rosette until they got to her room where they shared one last kiss. As Chrono pulled away, he leaned down next to Rosette's ear.

"I'll be back later," he whispered.

Rosette blushed and nodded, closing the door. She listened until Chrono's footsteps faded in the distance. Kicking off her boots, she collapsed back onto her bed and sighed. Things defiantly seemed to be going her way lately. Not only had she and Chrono made up, but just earlier that day, she had been told that the West Coast Branch of the Magdalan Order had gotten a fixed location on Joshua. She and Chrono would be flying out there tomorrow morning.

Yes, things were most defiantly looking up. Sitting up, Rosette began to remover her Militia uniform. The clothing was halfway over her head when she stopped. Someone was watching her. Thinking it was the Elder; she pulled her uniform down and drew her pistol, whirling around to face the window. What she saw made her heart stop. It wasn't the Elder she was staring at, but Aion's eagle. The bird was perched on a nearby tree limb and staring at her with its glowing red eyes.

Rosette didn't even think. Jumping up, she jammed her feet into her boots and bolted out her room. Her heavy footfalls echoed throughout the convent halls, but she didn't care. Bursting out of the dormitory, Rosette scanned the sky, looking for any sign of the eagle. She saw it as it swooped down and landed on someone's outstretched arm. The clouds covering the moon prevented Rosette from seeing who the person was clearly. All she could tell was that they were wearing a long-coat. And Rosette knew only one person who hung out with that bird and wore a long-coat.

Bringing her Colt up, she aimed in on the figure's head and clicked the safety off.

"Aion!" she yelled.

The figure turned to face Rosette, but didn't make a move in her direction. The blond exorcist was thankful that she had loaded her .45 with Gospels instead of Sacreds. She knew how powerful of a demon that Aion was and a Sacred bullet wouldn't do any damage to him at all. At least with a Gospel, she stood a better chance of winning.

Rosette started to walk towards the figure, keeping her Colt aimed at the head. As she moved forward, the clouds that covered the moon began to move away. Rosette suddenly stopped, her breath catching in her throat and her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

The person standing before her was most defiantly not Aion. He was dressed in blue and his hair was short and a light-blond color. Rosette swallowed. Short, light-blond hair. Piercing ocean-blue eyes. Just like her own. Rosette lowered her Colt, the gun falling from her limp fingers.

"J-Joshua?"

Joshua sent the eagle flying away and turned back towards Rosette, regarding her with a kind smile.

"Hi."

"Oh, my God, Joshua." Rosette slowly walked forward, her feet feeling like they were made of led. "Is that really you? Please let that be you."

Joshua opened his arms. "It's me. And it's good to see you again... Rosette."

That was all it took. With tears in her eyes, Rosette flung herself into her brother's arms, saying his name over and over again. Joshua wrapped his arms around Rosette's shaking form and tried to calm her down.

"It's okay, Rosette. I'm back now. And I'm never leaving again."

-----------------------------

Aion scowled and tightened his grip on his ever-present cue stick carrier. This was not going the way he had planned. Joshua wasn't supposed to recognize his sister. So how was it that he could? The violet-eyed demon had a suspicion that it was because of Fiore and the relationship that the two were now in. If he did not tread carefully now, it could easily become a fatal mistake for letting those two come as far along as they had.

(Oh, well, no use worrying about it now,) he thought. (I'll just have to try and use this to my advantage somehow.)

"Now, isn't this touching," Aion said, stepping into the moonlight, Fiore following close behind him. "Brother and sister reunited after four years of separation. It certainly is a magical moment."

Rosette turned around and her eyes widened. "Aion!"

She went to grab her pistol, but cursed when she saw it lying on the ground between her and the silver-hired demon. Rosette quickly judged the distance between herself and her Colt. Confident that she could make it, she bent her knees and steadied herself.

"Joshua, stay behind me."

With that, she launched herself at the gun. She scooped it up and rolled, bringing herself to a stop at Aion's feet. Jumping up, she pressed the .45 to his head and cocked the hammer back.

"I've got you, Aion," she said, smiling. "And this time, I don't need you to tell me where Joshua is."

Aion smiled back at her. "Hmmmm, that's true. You don't need me anymore, but I wonder. Can you really kill me that easily?"

Rosette grit her teeth. (What is going on here? Why is he acting so calm? Doesn't he even see the gun?)

Rosette was snapped from her thoughts when Aion wrapped his hand around the pistol and sat down own the lip of the well, keeping the barrel pressed to his forehead.

"Let's play a game, shall we?" he said coolly. "I want to test the power you have acquired over the past four years. The power of your 'Steel Fang'. If you win, my story will come to an end and you'll be free to do as you please. But, if I win... well, you'd better hope I don't win."

Rosette's hands were shaking, her finger itching to pull the trigger. But, for some reason, she couldn't get it to move. Why couldn't she do it? Aion was here, right in front of her, practically begging her to shoot him. So why shouldn't she oblige him? If he died then it would all be over. All of it.

"What's the matter?" Aion asked, his voice light and taunting. "Why don't you shoot me? After all, I was the on who stole your happiness..."

"Shut-up!" Rosette shouted, pressing the Colt harder into his head.

"...And your little brother..."

"Shut-up!"

"...And destroyed your peaceful life four years ago. Your enemy is here, right before you. Strike him down and set everything right."

"Shut-up! Just shut-up and DIE!"

Rosette pulled the trigger and the Gospel's power erupted into Aion's forehead at pointblank range. The demon let go of the pistol and Rosette fell back, panting and gasping, as she watched the wound in the Sinner's head quickly heal over, a trickle of blood flowing down to his lips.

"Hm, too bad," he said, licking at the blood. "Looks like you loose after all."

(No,) Rosette thought in anguish. (No, this can't be happening. He should be dead. But, then again, I forgot what I'm dealing with. I forgot the real meaning of the word 'demon'.)

"Big Sister."

Rosette turned around to see Joshua kneeling behind her, a slight frown on his face.

"Please, Sis, don't shoot my friends again. He's going to help us achieve our dream."

Rosette's mouth dropped open. "Joshua, what...?"

The Apostle looked to the sky. "The Astral Lines, Sis. With Aion's help, we'll finally be able to see them. Just like we dreamed when we were children."

"Joshua..."

An explosion suddenly shook the nearby girls' dormitory and the alarm started to ring. Two shadowy figures landed next to Aion moments later and one of them seemed to be carrying something.

"Did you have to make so much noise, Viede?" Aion asked the bigger shadow.

"Sorry, Aion," Viede said. "But that Magdalan Order bitch wasn't going to let us leave. So I had to take care of her."

Aion shrugged. "Oh, well. I guess some thing can't be helped. You did get what we came for, right?"

The smaller shadow smiled and shifted the weight under his arms. "Of course. She was real easy to find."

"Good work, Genai."

Rosette blinked a couple of time before she was able to recognize what the smaller demon was carrying.

"Azmaria!"

The blond-haired nun brought her gun up and started to pull the trigger when it disappeared from her hand and she squeezed thin air. She looked around, trying to find her pistol when she noticed that Joshua was standing in front of her, the Colt in his hands and Chrono's horns protruding from underneath his light-blond hair.

"I already asked you once, Sis, not to shoot my friends. Please don't make me ask you again." Joshua pointed the gun at Rosette. "Or I might have to shoot you myself."

Joshua emphasized his point by slowly squeezing the trigger then suddenly jumped away and put a hand to his head near the horns. Another figure took his place in front of Rosette and stood protectively over her.

"Chrono," Joshua whispered.

"Hello, Aion," the fully grown Sinner growled.

Aion stared wide-eyed at Chrono. The demon let his composure slip for a moment but quickly regained it. "Well, my, my, Chrono. Hit a growth spurt did we?"

"Things have changed, Aion. A lot."

"Yes, I can see that." Aion glanced behind him. "Have you come for the Apostle of Charity?"

"I have. But, I've also come to settle things between us once for all."

"I see. Then let's get started."

Aion opened the cue stick carrier and removed the sword that was inside. The demon transformed and brought his weapon to a ready position.

_"Get ready, Chrono."_

Chrono's mouth dropped open. "Aion... your... your horns-- Gah!"

The hornless demon rushed forward and, taking advantage of Chrono's distraction, stabbed him through the chest with his sword. The Sinner coughed up blood and went limp on the blade.

"Chrono!" Rosette screamed, her hands going to her mouth.

Aion smirked. _"Heh. Just because I don't have my horns anymore, doesn't mean that I'm any less powerful than I was before."_ He removed his sword and Chrono's body fell to the ground, blood oozing from his wound. Aion turned to face Viede and Genai. _"Take the Apostle and return to Eden. I'll finish up things here."_

The two demons nodded and started to walk away.

"Laden! Take form, my brave May. Erlöschen!"

The sword from Satella's jewel monster blocked Viede and Genai's escape. Magdalan Order members, from Militia down to third class, began to muster around the demons, armed to the teeth.

Rosette blinked back her tears. "Satella? What the hell are you doing here?"

The German woman walked forward, keeping her summoned monster's sword pointed at the two Sinners. "I followed the large demonic aura that I felt coming from this place. And it's a good thing that I did, too."

Aion chuckled. _"Well, well. What have we here? Little Satella Harvenheit. You've grown up quite beautifully, haven't you? But of course you have. After all, it's been ten years since we last saw each other."_

"What are you talking about? I've never seen you before! And I would never associate myself with a demon like you!"

Aion tilted his head. _"Really? I'm hurt that you would forget me so quickly."_ Aion tapped the side of his head where his horns used to be. _"Think hard, Satella Harvenheit, when was the last time you saw a hornless demon?"_

Satella's mouth dropped open as memories from ten years ago flashed before her eyes. Her mother and father's death and her sister's disappearance. The demon's face in those memories had always been covered in shadows. But now, now she could see it clearly. The silver hair. The violet-colored eyes. And that damn smirk. The same one that he was wearing right now.

Tears started flowing from Satella's eyes. "You! It was YOU! You're the one who killed my family! You bastard!" Satella moved her jewel monster from Genai and Viede to face Aion. "I'm going to kill you!"

_"Are you now? That really isn't a good idea,"_ Aion said, walking in Satella's direction.

Satella held her ground while the Order members aimed in on the advancing demon. "And why is that?" the Jewel Witch inquired.

Aion completely ignored the jewel monster and came to stand in front of the German woman. _"Because I can reunite you with your sister. She's still alive you know. In fact, she's right over there,"_ he said, pointing to Fiore.

"You lie!"

_"Really? Let's find out then. Fiore!"_

Fiore curtsied. "Then I shall begin." The woman plucked the red jewel from her ear and held it above her head. "Laden!"

The magic was released and Fiore's arm was covered in a metal gauntlet. A scythe appeared moments later, completing the spell. Satella didn't have time to react before Fiore was right in front of her, the point of the scythe lightly pressing against her throat.

"Please stop," the attendant said. "Send away your monster and don't move. I don't want to have to hurt you."

Satella did as she was told, staring at the woman in front of her with wide eyes. "Sister..."

Aion smiled and walked away, not even bothering with the Order members. As long as he had Satella and the Apostle of Charity held hostage, the Order would not endanger them by shooting at him. Especially since one was a civilian.

_"Viede, Genai, don't you have somewhere to be?"_

"All right, all right, we're going already," Genai grumbled.

The two turned to leave when a bolt of energy came shooting down from the sky and hit Viede, creating a hole in the demon's chest. The Sinner dropped to his knees and started coughing up blood.

"VIEDE!" Genai shouted, dropping Azmaria.

Viede looked to the sky just in time to have another bolt of energy hit him again; blowing his head from his shoulders in a spray of blood. The body dropped to the ground, blood pouring from its wounds and pooling at Genai's feet. Genai looked up and felt his blood boil at what he saw. Duke Duffau hovered over the entire scene, a look of satisfaction on his face.

_"Sinner Genai, Sinner Aion! In the name of Pandemonium, you are hereby sentenced to death for your crimes."_

Genai transformed and leapt into the sky, his arm changing into his weapon. _"DUFFAU!"_ he raged, swinging at the Pursuer. _"YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU!"_

Duffau easily blocked the enraged demon's swing. _"You're a couple hundred years too young to defeat me, child! Accept you fate and surrender."_

_"Never!"_

As Aion watched the two demons battle in the sky, he let his guard down and failed to notice Father Remington as he moved in for the attack.

"Aion!" the priest yelled, swinging his crucifix-sword at the demon's head.

Aion brought his own sword up just in time to block the priest's Astral-blade. The two exchanged blows until Father Remington scored a hit and sent the demon staggering.

"Freeze!" he commanded, the blade mere inches away from the Sinner's head. "Checkmate, Aion."

Aion smirked. _"Not yet. I still have one more move to make. Joshua!"_ The Apostle looked away from Rosette and Chrono. _"This man is trying to stop us from helping you achieve your dream. Are you going to let him do that?"_

Joshua's hand tightened around the Colt. "No! No, I won't let him do that! I'm so close! So very close!"

Joshua brought the Colt up and aimed it at Father Remington. The priest leapt away just as Joshua fired, the Gospel's power impacting at the spot he had been standing at. Aion appeared in front of him an instant later, swinging his sword. The blade caught Father Remington in the chest and sent him flying back to land next to Rosette and Chrono.

"Father Remington!" Rosette shouted, crawling over to him.

The priest was still breathing, but was loosing a lot of blood from the wound in his chest. Rosette looked up and watched as Aion walked over to Azmaria.

(No! This can't be happening! It can't!)

Unknown to Rosette, or anyone else, Chrono began to stir beside her. Dark energy began to pulse off his body and his eyes started to glow bright red.

"Aion..." he muttered.

-----------------------------

After Aion had stabbed Chrono through the heart, his Legion had been working feverishly to repair the damage to his body. Even with his newfound powers, something as deadly as a sword wound to the heart was still quite a shock to the system. And while Chrono waited for his damaged body to be repaired, he dreamed.

He dreamed of a time, not to long ago, when he had made a very important promise to himself. To not repeat a mistake he had made in the past. To not make someone he cared for ever cry again. But, it was happening again. Rosette was crying, he could tell. And it was all Aion's fault.

Aion.

It always came back to Aion. But not anymore. He would settle everything between the two of them here and now. No more pain. No more regrets. And no more tears for Rosette. Or for Mary. No more.

Chrono felt the repairs to his body finish and again reached out to his new power. It would all end tonight. He would make sure of it.

-----------------------------

On Manhattan Island, at the Grand Plaza Hotel, Gabriel and Lucifer had just finished eating dinner when they both felt it. Crayak's power was surging again. Without even hesitating, Gabriel threw open a nearby window and, spreading his wings, took to the sky and headed in the direction of the Magdalan Order.

Lucifer quickly dressed and followed close behind him, the white feather in his hat glowing brightly.

-----------------------------

Aion was ready to pick up Azmaria when he stopped and looked back in Rosette's direction, his eyes wide. It took Rosette a moment to realize that Aion wasn't looking at her, but at something beside her. Rosette looked over and saw Chrono on his feet. Dark energy was erupting from around his body and his eyes were a bright red.

Chrono transformed and turned his right arm into a sword. The demon launched himself at his brother and swung at his head.

_"AION!"_

Aion blocked the enraged demon's sword with his own and took to the sky, Chrono not far behind him. The two streaked across the heavens, coming together only to exchange blows with each other. Aion heard someone yell in the background and realized that Duffau had killed Genai, the body hitting the ground next to Viede. But he paid it no mind. His attention was on Chrono and Chrono alone.

_"That's it, Chrono,"_ Aion taunted. _"Show me the extent of your rage. Strike me down before I take away everything that you care about again."_

_"You'll do no such thing!"_ Chrono shouted. _"I won't let you!"_

Their swords clashed again, sparks and demonic energy exploding from the connected blades as the two brothers set out to finish the fight they began fifty-four years ago.

-----------------------------

The moment that Chrono had transformed, Joshua had collapsed to his knees and started screaming. This had grabbed the attention of Rosette and Fiore. Both women were beside him in an instant, leaving Father Remington and Satella unattended to.

"Joshua, what's wrong?" Rosette asked, gripping his shoulder. Fiore placed a calming hand on his other one, her face etched with worry.

"The horns!" he wailed, doubling over, his hands clutching the horns and his head pressing into the cool stone around the well. "Their screaming! Make it stop! Please, Sis, stop the noise!"

Rosette watched in horror as veins started to bulge out of Joshua's skin. They appeared on his hands, his face and even on the horns. The veins throbbed and pulsed with each beat of his heart and he let out a whimper with every slight move they made.

Moving in front of her brother, Rosette cupped his faced and forced him to look at her. She tried not to show her fear when she was met with a pair of grey eyes instead of ocean-blue.

"Joshua," she whispered. "Joshua, look at me. Please."

"Sis... is that you?"

"It's me," Rosette said, blinking through tears. "Listen, Joshua, I'm going to help you stop the noise. But you have to trust me. Okay?"

"I trust you, Sis. Just, please, stop the noise! I can't take it anymore!"

"Okay," she said, nodding. "This might hurt, so, please, don't be angry with me."

Steadying herself, Rosette's hands trailed away from his face and slowly came up, wrapping around the horns. The exorcist gasped at the power that she felt coming from them. Raw Astral energy flowed through the horns and she could feel it as it came into contact with her. Every cell in her body suddenly felt as if it was on fire, but it wasn't painful at all. In fact, it felt rather nice.

Rosette shook her head. This was no time to be admiring the power that coursed through her body, she had to help her brother. Gritting her teeth, the teenager tightened her hold on the horns and pulled back with all her might. The sickening sound of crunching bone and tearing flesh assaulted Rosette's ears just before Joshua started screaming in pain.

The two teens fell away from each other, Joshua clutching his head and Rosette clutching Chrono's horns. She quickly discarded them and moved to her brother again who was bleeding from where the horns used to be. Rosette grabbed his wrists and tried to pull them away from the wounds, but Joshua refused to move them and started to trash violently.

As Rosette tried to think of a way to calm Joshua down, another pair of hands appeared and lifted the screaming teenager's head, placing it into a lap.

"Please, Lord Joshua," Fiore whispered, running her fingers through his light-blond bangs. "Your sister is trying to help you. You must be still."

"Fiore... Sis..." Joshua whispered through the pain.

Rosette blinked in surprise as Joshua calmed down, a content smile coming to his face. Seeing her chance, she pulled the boy's hands away from his head. With no bandages to cover his wounds with, Rosette improvised by using his tie, loosening it and retightening it over the gashes. Joshua hissed in pain, but made no other moves.

Releasing a sight of relief, Rosette looked at Fiore. "Alright, just who in the hell are you? And how do you know my brother?"

The attendant ignored Rosette, keeping her attention on Joshua. This made Rosette angry and she grabbed the front of Fiore's dress, getting her attention.

"Hey!" she snapped. "I asked you a question!"

"Sis," Joshua said, weakly, a bloody hand wrapping around her wrist. "Don't be upset with her. She's been taking care of me." The hand left Rosette's wrist and came to rest on Fiore's hand. "Sis... this is Fiore. I love her..."

Rosette's mouth dropped open at Joshua's confession and Fiore blushed dark red. "WHAT?"

Her shout fell on def ears as Joshua slipped into unconsciousness. Rosette considered -- for a moment -- to try and shake her brother awake in order to get more information out of him, but dropped the idea when a thunderous '**BOOM**'brought her attention to the sky.

Chrono and Aion were still locked in battle, the clashing of their swords sounding like thunder to the people on the ground below. Rosette suddenly remembered the horns, but was reluctant to leave Joshua alone with this strange woman. Even if he said that he did love her.

(We're going to have a serious talk when you wake up,) she promised her brother.

Looking around the grounds, Rosette found what she was looking for. "Hey, Satella! Get over here!"

The German woman ripped her eyes away from the sky and hurried over to Rosette. "What?"

"Watch Joshua for me," she said, getting up and running away from her the moment she kneeled down.

"What? Why me? What are you going to be doing?"

Rosette bent down and picked up Chrono's horns. "I'm going to give Chrono his horns back."

No sooner had the words left her mouth an explosion shook the ground and threw Rosette back, knocking her into Satella. The two women groaned as they sat up and Rosette yelped in surprise when Satella roughly shoved her off her lap. The rebuttal she had ready to fire at German woman died on her lips when the dust settled.

Aion stood in the middle of a small crater, his cloths ripped and burned in some places. The demon was leaning heavily on his sword for support and had blood dripping from his head.

What happened next, Rosette would remember forever. Someone yelled in the background and, at the same time, Chrono appeared in front of Aion, running his sword through the demon's chest. The Sinner's eye's widened and he coughed up blood, the sword slipping from his limp fingers. Rosette watched as the two demons seemed to talk between each other in hushed whispers. Finally, Aion closed his eyes and Chrono jerked his arm upward, splitting the Sinner in half. Blood sprayed in every direction as the body fell backwards, hitting the ground in a growing pool of its own blood.

Chrono returned his arm to normal then dropped to his knees, his shoulders shaking. Rosette slowly walked forward then stopped when she came within an arms reach of her partner.

"Chrono?" she whispered. "Chrono, are you all right?" The demon ignored Rosette and rose to his feet, stretching and cracking his neck. This just made Rosette mad. "Hey!" she fumed. "I'm talking to you, Chrono!"

The demon chuckled. "CHRONO? I'M SORRY, MY DEAR, BUT THERE IS NO CHRONO HERE ANYMORE." Chrono turned around and Rosette gasped, her hands coming to her face in horror. "THERE IS ONLY CRAYAK."

-----------------------------

Gabriel and Lucifer arrived at the Magdalan Order just as Aion was slammed into the ground. The Devil watched as the Sinner struggled to his feet then immediately began scanning the grounds for Chrono. He found him just as the demon was streaking towards Aion, his sword out in front of him.

Lucifer yelled, "Chrono, no! Don't do it!"

His warning came too late. Aion was run through then split in half. The ex-Angel staggered, gripping his chest.

Gabriel looked at him in alarm. "Lucifer? What's wrong?"

"We're too late," he moaned as Chrono turned around, feeling the evil energy that radiated off of him. "We're too late..."

-----------------------------

Chrono looked at Aion as he coughed up blood, sorrow filling his amber eyes. His brother didn't miss this.

_"Hey,_" he said, smiling, _"Don't look so down. You won. I'm not going to be a threat to you anymore."_

Chrono didn't say anything, but continued to stare at his brother.

Aion snorted. _"You always were... such a softie. You should be happy. Today, you will start a new chapter in your own book. One without me in it."_ Aion closed his eyes. _"Now, kill me, Chrono."_

_"I can't."_ Chrono finally said, a single tear falling from his eye. _"You're my brother."_

_"This is exactly why you should do it. Because if you don't, I will destroy everything that you care about and more."_

Chrono grit his teeth. As much as he hated to admit it, Aion was right. Unless he was killed, nothing would stop. Squeezing his eyes shut, Chrono readied himself for what he was about to do.

_"Please forgive me, Brother,"_ he whispered before yanking his arm upward, splitting Aion in half.

Blood sprayed everywhere as Aion's body fell back, and Chrono dropped to his knees, his arm returning to normal. He stayed there a few moments, silently mourning the death of his brother and close friend. Chrono started to get to his feet when he suddenly became dizzy, his vision blurring. He shook his head, trying to clear his vision, but started to panic when it suddenly started to get dark.

He tried to fight against it, but it was no use. Something was dragging him down into the inky blackness. Chrono felt another presence within him and realized that it was replacing him. He tried to force back the presence, but it was no use. It was so much stronger than him. As he fell deeper and deeper into the blackness, Chrono saw a flash of Rosette. It would be the last time he saw her as the darkness finally overtook him.

(Rosette...)

-----------------------------

Rosette slowly backed away from Chrono, shaking her head in denial. The demon's once amber eyes were now the deepest shade of black that she had ever seen, making him seem almost lifeless. Chrono -- no, Crayak -- stretched once again, his wings fanning out behind him.

"AHHHH," he sighed, "IT FEELS SO GOOD TO HAVE A BODY AGAIN. WELL, WELL, WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? IF IT ISN'T MY OLD FRIENDS GABRIEL AND LUCIFER. HOW HAVE THE BOTH OF YOU BEEN?"

"Crayak!" Gabriel hissed. "You scum!"

"NOW, NOW. IS THAT ANY WAY TO GREET SOMEONE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IN OVER A THOUSAND YEARS? IT'S RATHER RUDE."

"Hey!" Rosette shouted. "What have you done to Chrono?"

Crayak returned his gaze back to the screaming nun. "AH, YOU MUST BE MY SON'S MATE. ROSETTE CHRISTOPHER, CORRECT? I KNOW THAT OUR FIRST MEETING WAS RATHER SHORT, BUT I WAS BUSY AT THE MOMENT."

"Enough of the bullshit! Answer the question! What did you do to Chrono?"

Crayak smirked. "MY, AREN'T WE A FIERY ONE? BUT, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, CHRONO IS RIGHT HERE," he said, placing a hand over his heart. "AND I MUST TELL YOU, IT'S QUITE AN ANNOYANCE TO ME. WHEN I TOOK OVER HIS BODY, HIS SOUL WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DESTROYED IN THE PROCESS." A frown crept onto his face. "BUT, SOMEHOW, THAT LITTLE DEVIL WAS ABEL TO SEAL HIMSELF OFF FROM ME. BUT I'LL FIND HIM SOON ENOUGH. HE CAN'T HIDE FROM ME FOREVER."

Rosette's mouth dropped open. "What? What do you mean possessed? Just who the hell are you anyway?"

Crayak smiled. "A VERY GOOD QUESTION. AND I COULD TELL YOU, BUT, YOU WON'T LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO REMEMBER."

Leaping into the air, Crayak hovered above the Order and raised his hands above his head. A ball of dark energy began to form in his hands and the amount of power it was giving off created winds strong enough to uproot nearby trees.

Gabriel reached over and grabbed Lucifer by the shoulders. "Do something!"

Lucifer blinked at him. "Me? You're the Angel here, you do something!"

Gabriel looked away. "I can't. I'm not strong enough. You're much stronger than any Angel that the Father ever created. I need your help."

Lucifer scowled. "Well, what do you want me to do?"

"I don't know!" Gabriel shouted. "Bind him to something!"

The Devil cocked his head to the side. "To what?"

Veins popped out of the Angel's head. "ANYTHING!"

Lucifer saw the ball getting bigger and frowned. "Damn it! No time to be picky!"

The ex-Angel stepped forward and pulled the feather from his hat, pointing it at Crayak. He started to mumble words and the feather glowed brighter and brighter by the second. When it was finally bright enough, Lucifer yelled and sent a ball of white light in Crayak's direction. The spell hit its target, encasing Crayak in a ball of whit light. The power above Crayak's head disappeared and, moments later, Crayak disappeared as well.

Lucifer replaced the feather in his hat and dropped to his knees, sweat pouring down his face. He didn't get a chance to fully catch his breath before Rosette was in front of him, snatching him up by his jacket lapels.

"Where's Chrono?" she screamed into his face. "What did you do to him?"

"I... I did what Gabriel asked me to. I sealed him away," he said in between breaths.

"Sealed him away? Why?"

"Because, young miss, he was no longer the demon you know as Chrono," Gabriel said in a calm voice. "He has become Crayak the Destroyer."

Rosette let go of Lucifer and looked at Gabriel. "What? What do you mean he's no longer Chrono? And who is the Crayak person? I don't understand any of this."

"And nor should you. This is something that goes far beyond anything that you humans could ever begin to understand. But, given the circumstances, I will have to tell you."

"Hey, Gabriel," Lucifer said from the ground. "Before you start your little story, you might want to evacuate everyone from Manhattan Island."

The Angel raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Well, when I sealed Crayak away, I bound him to a building in New York City. The Chrysler Building to be exact."

Gabriel's mouth dropped open and he yanked Lucifer off the ground, veins popping out of his head. "You did WHAT?"

"I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter. It was either do that, or get killed. And, I don't know about you, but I don't want to die yet."

"How long will the binding last?"

Lucifer shrugged. "Don't know. A year, maybe less. I used as much power as I could without killing myself in the process. Actually it all depends on how fast Crayak pulls the rest of his power from his prison."

"A year," Gabriel whispered. "We don't have much time. We must act now. While he's still vulnerable."

"Hold on! Wait one minute here!" Rosette said, jumping in between the two. "When you say 'act now' just what are you planning on doing to Chrono?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Christopher," Gabriel said. "But we are going to have to kill Chrono. He is no longer the demon you once knew."

Rosette ferociously shook her head. "No way, no how! I won't let you do that! Not gonna happen!"

"Sorry there, sweet cheeks," Lucifer chimed in. "You got no say in the matter. Besides, your beloved Chrono is as good as dead anyway."

Rosette turned to the Devil. "What do you mean?"

"It's just like Crayak said, Chrono may be able to hide from him now, but when he's found -- and he will be -- his soul will cease to exist."

The exorcist dropped to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes. "No. It's not true. It can't be!"

Lucifer nodded. "It is. By our hand, or by Crayak's. Either way, he's going to die."

Rosette put her face in her hands, the tears spilling past her gloves. "No. He can't do this to me. He promised me. Promised me he would never leave me again."

She began to sob, her shoulders shaking violently. "Chrono... CHRONOOOOOOO!"

Rosette's scream of agony echoed throughout the entire Magdalan Order Headquarters and, some would later say, the whole New York countryside.

(End of Part Five)

------------------------------

Author's Rant: Oh, the evils I can do. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to get burned alive because of what I've done to Rosette and Chrono. As this fic stands, I would estimate that I'm about half-way done. I can't tell you for sure because it's more-or-less writing itself. I don't have a plan on how may chapters it will take to complete it. All I can say for sure is that there will be an epilogue. Other than that, your guess is as good as mine. So stick around if you like. Things are about to get interesting. At least I hope so.

Regarding the above quote: it was taken from the fic _Ticks of the Clock_ by Maiden of the Moon, chapter 18, title: _Dark_. Rosette actually does speak this line in the fic. The quote was used with her full permission. And if she happens to be reading this, I would once again like to thank her for letting me us this quote.

Next chapter:

-- Time marches on

See ya next chapter.


	6. Empty

I do not own Chrono Crusade, it belongs to Daisuke Moriyama. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow.

This story takes place before the team leaves for San Francisco. After that it takes a sharp left into my own Alternate Universe. I will be using elements from both the Manga and Anime. Enjoy. C&C is appreciated.

Text Key:

() -- thoughts

'**BOLD**'-- sound effects

_Speech_ -- Chrono/Demons in true form

-----------------------------

Black Sabbath

Part Six: Empty

By: Anime Otaku

-----------------------------

"_Empty shells. That's what me and my sister have become. And no matter how much we love each other, it will never be enough to fill the void within our hearts."_

_-Joshua Christopher_

_----------------------------------_

Outskirts of Manhattan Island, 1928

Father Joshua Christopher jammed his gloved hands into his pockets in a futile attempt to keep warm against New York's freezing January cold. The nineteen-year-old Militia member leaned against the Order's Ford Model-T car, watching his breath appear in front of him as he sighed. He cast a glance inside the car to see his partner curled up asleep, using his cold-weather coat as a blanket.

Joshua shook his head and turned away when he felt himself frown. He couldn't be upset with his partner for forgetting her own coat; she did have a really long day after all.

(And besides,) he quickly reminded himself, (you were the one who suggested that she get some sleep anyway AND offered her your coat.)

"Not exactly my brightest of ideas," he complained as a cold gust of wind hit him, kicking up snowflakes and causing his body to shiver. "Good thing that my shift is almost over. I don't know how much longer I can stand this."

Thankfully, Joshua didn't have to wait long. A pair of headlights appeared over a hill moments later and another convent car parked next to his. Sister Clair stepped out and came to stand next to him, pulling her own cold-weather coat tight around her.

"Good morning, Joshua," she said, smiling. "Ready to get relieved?"

"Am I ever," he said, returning the smile. "I'm glad you came when you did. I thought I was going to freeze to death!"

"Where's your coat?" she asked, worried. "I thought you were given one by the Order?"

"I was. But my partner is using it at the moment," he said, pointing behind him.

Clair looked to where he was pointing and saw a sliver of hair peeking out from under a bundle of blue cloth. "Poor dear. Has she been asleep the entire time?"

Joshua nodded. "Yeah, she has. But, she deserved it. She had already been on call all day long, so I told her she could sleep and I would take the entire six hour watch." Joshua looked around the area then asked, "Where are your partners?"

Clair giggled and pointed to her car. "Right over there."

Joshua looked over at the car and chuckled. Sisters Anna and Mary were leaning against each other, fast asleep. The two exorcists snuggled closer to each other when another gust of wind picked up, its iciness penetrating the car and their coats.

The Apostle shook his head. "Still Second Class, I see."

Clair nodded. "Yes. They've had the opportunity to become part of the Militia like me, but they turn the offer down every time. I wonder why?"

Joshua said, "I think it's so the three of you won't be separated. As long as you are in the Militia and they remain in the Second Class, you'll have to accompany them on missions. They've already lost one of their friends, so to speak. This is just their way of making sure that they don't loose another one."

"I suppose you're right," she said, bowing her head.

The two lapsed into a period of silence, the wind blowing again, causing snowflakes to swirl around them like a small tornado. Joshua shivered.

"Well," he said, "I'd better go before I turn into an ice cube. Do all of you have enough Sacred-Gospels?"

Clair nodded. "The Elder gave us a fresh supply before we left."

"All right then," he said, getting into his car. "I'll see you later, Clair."

"Joshua, wait!"

"What? What is it?"

"Today's the day, right?"

Joshua stared at Clair in confusion, then got a sad look in his eyes when he realized what she was talking about. "Yeah," he said in a whisper. "It is."

"The three of us picked a bouquet of flowers for her from the Order's greenhouse. Orchids and Lilies. We left them with the Elder before leaving."

"Thanks. I'm sure she'll like them. Well, take care."

Joshua started the car and drove off.

"You too, Joshua," Clair whispered to the rapidly departing vehicle. "You too."

-----------------------------

The long drive back to the Magdalan Order was done in complete silence since Joshua's partner still slept in the passenger seat. Joshua hated the silence. It gave him too much time to think about things. Things he would rather not think about. At that moment, he would have given anything to have some kind of noise around him. Hell, he would even prefer to have Chrono's horns attached to his skull again. At least then he would have SOME kind of noise to focus on instead of this maddening silence.

Joshua chucked to himself. Here he was, after four years of complaining about the noise that Chrono's horns caused him, wishing for something other than this silence to distract him form his thoughts.

Looking out the window, he tried to focus on something that could occupy his thoughts before they turned to things that he couldn't bare to think about at that moment. Through the window, he could see the streets of New York City, empty and devoid of any life whatsoever. Well, any HUMAN life, anyway.

The only thing that walked the streets were Crayak's minions. Hideous, black and red dragon-like monsters that the Magdalan Order had dubbed 'Fiends'. The monsters were two heads taller than any person and were extremely muscular, with razor sharp claws that could easily cut through steel and concrete like a hot knife through butter. The Fiends acted as both watchdogs and shock troopers for Crayak, protecting the city and ready to kill every human they came across when they escaped from the barrier. IF they escaped from the barrier.

When the Fiends had first appeared in New York City, the Order quickly found out that the only weapons strong enough to kill one of Crayak's monsters was the Gospel bullet or an Astral blade from a crucifix-sword. However, the Fiends proved to be much faster than they looked and made it hard to hit with an Astral blade. As for the Gospel, due to the amount of time it took to create one and the limited number they already had, a lot of Magdalan Order members and civilians had died as the city was being evacuated.

The Order needed a new weapon to defeat the Fiends and, after much trial and error -- plus the help of a new assistant -- the Elder had created his masterpiece: the Sacred-Gospel. The bullet was truly the greatest invention that the weapons developer had ever pumped out. While retaining the same shape and power of a Gospel, it had the recoil action and mass production ability of the Sacred.

Unfortunately, the breakthrough had come too little, too late. The Magdalan Order had already suffered a great loss while evacuating New York City, reducing them to less than fifty percent effectiveness. And they were still hurting to this day.

Watching the New York skyline as it passed by, Joshua's eyes landed on the still incomplete Chrysler Building. Inside that building was Crayak, the monster that had started all of this and had...

Joshua's hands tightened on the steering wheel. It was bad enough having that thing possessing Chrono's body, but, to find out what he was and how Chrono fit into the picture, that had been almost too much for him to take in.

-----------------------------

Six months after Crayak's escape, 1925

"Sister Kate, Father Remington reports that the last of the Seraphim Barriers are in place," the female radio operator shouted above the noise in the convent's war room.

Sister Kate turned away from a map of Manhattan Island she was studying and looked at the radio operator with tired eyes. "Very well. Tell Father Remington and his team to pull back immediately. I don't want anyone near that city. And activate the barrier as soon as they are clear."

"Yes, ma'am." The operator turned away to carry out her orders.

Sighing in exhaustion, Sister Kate left the room and leaned against the wall, putting her face in her hands.

Six moths. For six months the Magdalan Order had fought and bled so that New York City could be completely evacuated. And all the while that she had been in charge; Sister Kate had been there and heard as the reports for the injured and the dead had come across the radio. It had been almost too much for her to bear. On more than one occasion, she had been told to leave the room before she broke down and cried right in front of everyone.

(But just because the fighting is over, doesn't mean that I can forget all those who sacrificed their lives for the people. Their names will forever be etched into my heart and soul.)

"It's never easy, is it, Sister Kate?"

Sister Kate looked up to see the Elder standing in front of her, his hands in his pockets and a look of both sympathy and sadness on his face.

"Elder?"

"I know that right now you're blaming yourself for this tragedy. Thinking that you could have done more -- should have done more -- to prevent so much loss of life." The weapons developer shook his head. "But it's not your fault. So stop blaming yourself. If anything, I should be the one to blame."

Sister Kate looked at the Elder in shock. "How can you say that?"

"Let's just say that, there's so much more that I could have done, than I actually did. We'll just leave it at that."

"Elder...?"

"You should go to your office, Sister Kate," the inventor said as he walked away. "You have some visitors."

The Elder was gone before Sister Kate could ask him anymore questions. Sighing to herself, she headed upstairs to her office. Upon entering, she found that she did indeed have visitors. Five to be exact. The two strangers, Gabriel and Lucifer, were there. As where Joshua and Fiore and Satella.

"What are...?" she started.

"I was hoping to talk to you alone, Sister Kate," Gabriel said. "But, everyone else was here when I arrived and I couldn't get them to leave."

Sister Kate looked at Joshua. "Why are you...?"

"For my sister," he interrupted. "These two are going to explain why Chrono is possessed by this Crayak person. And since Rosette refuses to leave her room, I'm going to listen in and tell both her and Azmaria later."

"And you, Miss Harvenheit?"

Satella shrugged. "I've been involved in this since the very beginning. I think I deserve to know what's going on. Don't you agree, Sister?"

Sister Kate closed her eyes. "I suppose so. Please, Gabriel," she said, sitting behind her desk, "tell us everything."

Gabriel sighed. "Very well. But, before I begin, all of you must understand something. What I'm about to tell you has never been divulged to a human before. However, given the circumstances of the present situation, the Father has given me permission to tell you of these things."

The Angel took a deep and calming breath. "Crayak, to put simply, is the Father's opposite. He is the other side of the coin. The evil twin. The darkness that exists because of the light. However you want to word it, it all comes down to one simple fact. Where the Father is all that is good, Crayak is the purest evil that will ever exist in the universe. And it is their existence that keeps the universe together.

"One thing you must understand is that without balance, nothing can exist. Not you, not even this world. Eons before I or any of my fellow Angels were created, Crayak and God were the very embodiment of this principal, only on a much grander scale. They kept the universe in existence. At one point in time, the Father decided that he wanted to create life. He created many worlds with many forms of life living on them in peace. But, He forgot one very important thing. There must be balance. And because there was no Darkness to balance out the Light, the worlds could not survive on their own. No matter what, weather it is good or evil, one power must be present to balance out the other. If this is not done, the world on witch that power resides on must be destroyed. And Crayak, true to his name, was drawn to the worlds like a magnet and destroyed every one of them. And that's how it went for eons. Whatever God created, Crayak destroyed. Even after the Angels were created to protect the worlds, Crayak created his Fiends to counter us. And the war waged on, across countless worlds and numerous galaxies."

"What about you, Gabriel?" Sister Kate asked. "You exist because there is balance within you, do you not?"

The Angel shook his head. "No. Myself and the Fiends are an exception to the rules you might say. This is because we were created from either the Father's or Crayak's power directly. The worlds that God made were created by Him USING his power to reshape the already existing matter in the area however He saw fit. Not from his power directly, like the Angels and Heaven were. Understand?"

Sister Kate nodded. "I think I do. So, tell us, why was this world not destroyed by Crayak?"

"Because Crayak was sealed away when he tried to destroy it."

"How?" was the question asked by everyone in the room.

Gabriel scowled. "As much as I hate to admit it, it's all thinks to him," he said, pointing to Lucifer. "When the Father created this world, he decided that it would be the last one that Crayak destroyed. So He set a trap for him. As soon as the Destroyer appeared to unmake this world, the trap was sprung and he was sealed away. With Crayak gone, all seemed right. But, it was a short-lived victory. Because we forgot one very important thing."

"There must be balance," Satella said.

"Correct," Gabriel said, looking out the window. "There must be balance. In everything. And, although he didn't completely escape at first, Crayak did manage to leak some of his power out of the weakening Seal. The result of that was Lucifer's corruption and eventual rebellion. Apparently Crayak thought that the key to releasing the Seal was hidden somewhere in Heaven and he was going to use Lucifer to destroy it. But, something happened that he hadn't planned on. Lucifer was defeated and banished. And when sin was created and man started embracing the new, darker side of his soul, the balance that the world required was created and the Seal was complete."

"So how does Chrono fit into all of this?" Joshua asked.

Gabriel sighed. "I can't tell you that. But, he can."

"Are you finally done talking?" Lucifer asked, stretching. "I was falling asleep just listening to you."

Gabriel looked as if he was going to say something, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Alright then. Now that the sermon is over, I can put my two cents in. And the best place to start is where Gabriel left off."

"After having my wings ripped from my back and banished to Earth, my first order of business was to get revenge. And what better way to do that then corrupting God's Children? But, I wasn't satisfied. I wanted more. I wanted my own children, my own legion of followers. And with the help of Lilith, I was able to do that."

"Lilith?" Sister Kate asked.

Lucifer nodded. "She was an Angel who left Heaven willingly to try and find me. You might say that we were what you humans call lovers. All of you know her better as Pandemonium."

Everyone's -- but Gabriel's -- mouth dropped open. The Devil ignored this as continued talking.

"When she found me, I was nearly dead and she gave me one of my feathers she had stolen to help sustain me. An Angel's wings are like a demon's horns, we can't survive without them. Anyway, I'm getting off track. With my life no longer threatened and Lilith beside me, I got started on creating my children. But before that, I made it clear to Lilith that I didn't want my children to rely on the power of God as we had to. So she suggested that we use Crayak's power. What better way to wage war on God than to use the power of our most hated enemy to create my army."

Lucifer chuckled. "If that isn't irony, then I don't know what is. Anyway, it took us a while, but we were finally able to tap into Crayak's power. Using that, Lilith and I were able to create the first of our children. Chrono and Aion."

The eyes of every human in the room widened to the size of dinner plates. Again, Lucifer ignored their reaction.

"Unfortunately, I ran into a slight problem. It turned out that my sons needed a soul to bring them to life. As Lilith and I thought about a way to give them what they needed, an even bigger problem presented itself. It seems that when I created Chrono and Aion with Crayak's power, I also created a bridge between this world and the Destroyer's prison. Using this bridge, Crayak possessed their bodies and escaped from the newly created world of Pandemonium."

"Where did they go?" Joshua asked.

Lucifer smiled. "Straight into Heaven. Crayak still thought the key to releasing himself from imprisonment was in Heaven somewhere. I'm sure that by now you all know of Chrono's reputation and the various titles that have been given to him. 'Chrono the Sinner'. 'The Crooked Horn'. 'The Ignoble One'. 'The Terror of Pandemonium'. And of course, my personal favorite, 'The Slayer of A Hundred' -- referring to demons, of coarse. But, I think a better name for him would be 'The Slayer of A Hundred MILLION ANGELS'. This being the exact number of Angels that both he and Aion killed individually. And they would have done more damage if it hadn't been for Lilith. Using four of her remaining feathers, she created their horns. With the Astral energy flowing into them, a balance was crated and Crayak was forced out of their bodies. Lilith and I quickly brought the two back to Pandemonium and pondered on what to do with them. Lilith wanted to destroy them, saying they were too dangerous to be left alive. Personally, I wanted to let them live. I couldn't just give up two of the most powerful demons that I had ever created. Ultimately I left the decision up to her. Seems she made the right choice."

"How can you say that?" Gabriel shouted. "Look at what's happened because you let those two live!"

Lucifer scratched his chin. "A miscalculation on my part. One that Lilith and I made sure not to repeat. Using her last two feathers, Lilith crated her own set of horns to counter the dark power she had already absorbed into her body. And because of what she did, the first generation of demons, and everyone borne after that, had horns. Even if they lost them, their bodies would be so reliant on Astral energy that they would die without it. With Chrono and Aion, it was more of a game of chance on whether or not Crayak would find them again after they lost all of their Astral energy."

"Well he did and look at what--" Gabriel stopped mid-rant when a thought struck his mind. "Wait a minute. If those two lost their horns over fifty years ago, why did Crayak wait so long to possess one of them?"

Lucifer said, "From the information I've been given, it's because they were still absorbing Astral energy from another source. Chrono had his Contractors and Aion had a receptor of some sorts."

"Then what about six months ago? Chrono was obviously tapping into Crayak's power. How did he resist the Destroyer for so long?"

Lucifer shook his head. "It wasn't a matter of resistance. Aion was acting as a buffer for Chrono. Those two were special for a lot of reasons. One of them being that they really were brothers. They were crated by the same power, hatched from the same egg and even given the souls of human twins. So you might say that they had a special connection of sorts. And even though Chrono was using Crayak's power, he would be safe as long as Aion was still using Astral energy. But, as soon as Aion was killed, the connection they shared was lost and Crayak was able to move in."

Gabriel nodded. "Well, that explains that. But it still brings forth another question. How did Chrono tap into Crayak's power in the first place?"

As everyone pondered the question, none of them noticed the door to Sister Kate's office open and close.

"I believe I can answer that question for you."

Sister Kate looked up and blinked. "Elder?"

The weapons developer walked to the center of the room and let loose a tired sigh. "Chrono was able to tap into Crayak's power because of me. The first time it came up was after the Seal of the Seven Wings over Central City Park was repaired. Chrono came to me after the battle and told me about how he had absorbed vast amounts of miasma and had not been harmed by it. After conducting several tests, I told Chrono that the miasma could be used as another power source by him and I could make it possible for him to absorb it instead of Astral if he wanted me to."

"And judging by the mess where in now, I can guess what he choice he made," Lucifer said.

The Elder nodded. "Yes. Chrono chose to use this power without knowing what it would do to him. All for the sake of saving Rosette's life."

"My foolish son," Lucifer snorted.

"Yes, he was a fool." The Elder shook his head. "Sister Kate, the real reason I came here was to deliver a message to you from Father Gilliam."

"What is it?"

"Father Gilliam and the Pursuers that were working with him have located the Sinners' base. They also found Pandemonium's head and the last surviving Sinner."

"Shader!" Joshua shouted, leaping to his feet.

"You know her, Joshua?" Sister Kate asked.

Joshua furiously nodded his head. "We've lived together for four years. She's my friend. What are you going to do to her? You won't kill her, will you?"

Joshua almost cried when Sister Kate looked away from him and didn't say anything. Spinning on his heal, the teenage Apostle stalked out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Fiore apologized for his actions and quickly followed after him.

All eyes turned to Lucifer and the Devil swat-dropped. "Hey! Whoa! Wait a minute! What are you looking at me for? I don't care what happens to the Sinner. I just want Lilith's head returned to Pandemonium. What you do with the Sinner is your call."

Sister Kate thought for a few moments then picked up the phone on her desk. "Connect me to Father Gilliam, please." A few moments of silence lasted then the other end picked up. "Father Gilliam, this is Sister Kate, I have new orders for you. Pandemonium's head must be secured at all costs. I will send Duke Duffau to retrieve it. As for the Sinner known as Shader... This is what I want you to do..."

-----------------------------

the present

Joshua sighed in exhaustion as the city skyline gave way to the hills and pastures of the countryside. Not much longer and he would be home. As the car bumped along the country road, he would sneak a glance at his partner to see if she would wake up. She didn't, however, the bumpy road not having any effect on her sleep.

(Just like Rosette,) he thought, smiling. (She could have slept through World War I and not bat an eyelash.)

The moment he thought about his sister, the smile left his face and he felt tears at the corners of his eyes. Jamming his eyes shut, he shook his head, trying to hold them back.

(Damn it! Not here and not now! If I'm gonna break down, I'll do it when I go and see her. And not a minute before!)

The Magdalan Order Headquarters loomed in the distance, two armed sentries posted at the gate. After waving him through, Joshua took the car to the motor-pool and parked it. Rubbing his eyes, the Apostle glanced at his partner, who was still fast asleep. Smiling softly, he reached over and gently shook the bundle of blue cloth.

"Azmaria," he whispered. "Hey, Azmaria. We're home. Wake up."

There was a long, sleepy yawn as the sixteen-year-old stretched, causing Joshua's cold-weather coat to fall away from her body.

"Is it morning already?" she asked sleepily, absently adjusting her Militia uniform.

"Yeah, it is," Joshua said, hauling the ammo box out of the backseat. "You slept through the entire watch and the ride home. Which in itself is a metrical, seeing how bumpy the road is."

Azmaria blushed in embarrassment as she stepped out of the car, tightening Joshua's coat around her. "I'm sorry! I didn't know I was so tired!"

"Don't worry about it," Joshua said, heading in the direction of the armory. "You had a hectic day and deserved a few hours of sleep. I already told you that I didn't mind standing the entire watch by myself."

The female Apostle bowed her head. "But still... I should've at least stood some of the watch with you. You shouldn't shoulder every responsibility by yourself."

"..."

The two walked the rest of the way to the armory in silence and Azmaria waited outside as Joshua turned in the ammo box that contained their 'heavy' weapons. After finishing his business in the armory, Joshua collected Azmaria and headed in the direction of the women's dormitory. Azmaria sighed when they walked inside.

"I'll go ahead and get things ready for later," she said, breaking away from him and handing him back his cold-weather coat. "Let me know when you're done."

Joshua smiled down at her and mouthed a 'thank you'. The Apostle of Charity just smiled at him and went in the direction of her room, leaving the young priest standing alone in front of a door.

Joshua felt his heart pounding in his chest. It always did when he came to see her. And no matter how many times he did this, he was never able to keep his body under control. His heart would pound; every part of him would shake and break out in a cold sweat at the very sight of her. It was bad enough that he was always so nervous around her, but, no matter how much he loved her, no matter how much he cared, he always felt a sense of fear when he stood in front of her door. On several occasions he had to stop himself form bolting away from her room and never come back. But he wouldn't do that. He loved her too much. She was all he had in the world.

Joshua took a deep breath and slowly released it. (Alright, here we go.)

Reaching out with a badly shaking hand, Joshua turned the handle and opened the door.

-----------------------------

The room was dark. It always was. She refused to have any kind of light anywhere near her or the room. Like she was trying to hide from it and immerse herself in the darkness. Just as he had. And she had succeeded -- partially, anyway. Some small streams of sunlight still managed to penetrate her closed curtains and give the room a soft, buttery colored glow to it. But even this small amount of light seemed to redirect itself in order to keep from touching her, leaving her in the shadows.

But even in the dim lighting of the room, Joshua could still see her. She had changed. A lot. Her once shiny hair was now as dull as his used to be. Her skin was whiter than freshly fallen snow because she never got any sun. And her eyes, once so vibrant and full of life, were now dull and clouded, their inner fire having gone out a long time ago. Eyes that were staring straight ahead, not really looking at anything.

She was a living ghost.

Swallowing loudly, Joshua walked slowly over to the bed and sat down next to her, pulling her into his arms.

(She's gotten thinner,) he noted in worry. Looking over, he saw a barely touched plate of food sitting on her bedside table. Sitting next to the plate was a small, rectangular box, no bigger than any old music box. Joshua looked away and tightened his hold on the girl slightly.

(Why are you doing this to yourself?) he thought in anguish. (Has loosing him really taken away your will to live? Do you need him with you that much?)

Joshua began to rock the girl slowly back and forth and began singing a song from his childhood out of habit. As he softly repeated the words, he could imagine two other voices joining him. The three sang together until the song's end and the other voices faded into the background. Heaving one last sigh, Joshua carefully placed the girl back where he found her and stood up, kissing her on the forehead.

"I'll be back to visit you later tonight after I catch up on my sleep," he told her, pausing at the door. He didn't get an answer. He didn't expect one. "Azmaria will be along later to see you as well."

"I love you, Rosette. See you later." Quickly leaving the room, Joshua softly closed the door behind him, leaving his sister to sit alone in the darkness that she had created for herself.

-----------------------------

"Elder!" Joshua shouted as the entered the workshop. "Elder, are you in here! Elder!"

The Apostle frowned when he didn't get an answer. But, he should have known better. The weapons developer could tune everyone and everything out when he was working on a new project.

Joshua smiled. (Sounds just like a certain cat-demon that I know.)

No sooner had the thought passed through his head; Joshua heard the sound of rapidly approaching feet and a high-pitched squeal.

"JOSHUA!"

"Gah!" Despite his Militia training under Father Remington, Joshua was still taken by surprise and knocked to the ground, a very lively Shader bouncing on his stomach. "Hello, Shader," he wheezed. "I'm back."

"Welcome back," the cat-demon chirped, wrapping her arms around his neck. "How was your shift?"

"Long and boring. Do you mind getting off of me, Shader? It's kinda hard to breathe."

"Oops, sorry," she said, quickly hopping off of him.

Joshua groaned as he got to his feet and brushed himself off. (Same old Shader. She'll never change.)

Joshua didn't know how it happened -- he tended to stay out of the affairs of grown-ups when he was a child -- but somehow Sister Kate had bargained with Duffau to let Shader stay at the Magdalan Order under their care. The only condition that the Pursuer had given them was that the Sinner had to reattach her horns. Shader had straight up refused, saying she would rather die than be under Pandemonium's heel again.

Joshua didn't really understand why she had to reattach her horns, and in all honesty, he didn't care. All he knew was that if Shader had her horns again; she could stay with him and Fiore. Just as it had been at Eden. And after much begging and crying -- he even went as far as saying that he would place himself between her and Duffau if he had to do it -- Shader finally agreed to take her horns back. Joshua couldn't have been happier.

With her smarts and technological know-how, Shader had been sent to work with the Elder. At first everyone thought that she would kill the old pervert but the cat-demon seemed to take the weapons developer's antics in stride. She even seemed to get a kick out of them. The Order didn't bother to ask questions. If she could put up with the Elder's strange behavior and still concentrate on her work, then that was fine by them.

About a month later the two had created the Sacred-Gospel to help in the Order's fight against Crayak's Fiends. Even if the bullet had come all too late in the game to be used in the evacuation, all the exorcist's were grateful non-the-less. And despite who she was and what she had done in the past, the Order had accepted her. Just as they had done with Chrono.

And Joshua couldn't have been happier.

"So where's the Elder? He's got something I need."

"In the back working on the Gate. Come on, I'll take you to him," she said, looping an arm through his.

"He's still working on that?" Joshua asked in amazement.

Shader nodded. "He seems hell-bent on completing it no matter what it takes."

"But I thought he stopped working on it because he couldn't gather enough Astral energy to power it?"

"Come on, Joshua, you know the Elder. He's not gonna let something like that stop him. He's going to keep working on the Gate until he finds a way around the problem."

Joshua stopped at the door that lead to the back room and chuckled. "Yes, the old coot can be rather stubborn at times."

Opening the door, Joshua scanned the room for the Elder. He didn't see him. The only thing that occupied the room was a scaled down version of the Gate that Shader had built in Eden. Various types of machinery and tubes were attached to the Gate and most of them had their front panels removed and exposed the many wires on the inside of them. Joshua knew these to be the receptors that the Elder was using to try and gather Astral energy so he could power the machine.

"So... where is he?"

Shader scratched behind one of here ears. "I could have sworn he was in here when I left. How odd."

Joshua entered the room, looking for the Elder. The teenage Apostle rounded a corner then leaned against it with a sigh.

"So this is where you were," he said.

The Elder looked up from another receptor and smiled. "Ah, Joshua, good to see you. I didn't hear you come in."

(Not surprising,) he thought. Joshua looked at the other occupant of the room and nodded his head in greeting. "Hello, Father Remington. Had another run-in with a Fiend I see."

The priest stood off to the side, the top of his Militia uniform removed and three tubes connected to his back. The other ends of the tubes were attached to the receptor that he Elder was standing over and examining. Joshua could see the Astral energy as it was collected by the receptor and transferred through the tubes into Father Remington's body. The Apostle watched as a large gash across the man's chest slowly began to heal over, the Legion implanted in his body using the Astral energy to fix the wound.

"Yes, I seem to be getting rather careless in my actions," Father Remington said with a smile. "Maybe it's due to old age that I've gotten so careless."

"Bah! That's ridicules, Ewan, and you know it! Even if you've lived for over fifty years, you still have the speed and stamina of that little twenty-seven-year-old punk that I fist treated so long ago. And you're still not making things any easier on me," the Elder grumbled. "This is the second time this week you've come back with an injury this severe. I swear, Ewan, you need to take it easy for a couple of days."

Father Remington chuckled. "Little punk? You haven't called me that in years. And you know that I can't sit back and take it easy," he said, removing the tubes and slipping on his vest. "The situation with Crayak is approaching its Zero Hour. We don't have much time left."

Joshua blinked and pushed himself away from the wall. "'Zero Hour'? What's that?"

Father Remington said, "The Elder has calculated that Crayak will finish pulling the last of his power out of his prison by the end of this month."

Joshua's eyes widened. "How is that possible? Pandemonium's head was returned to her body! All the vents were closed after that! How is Crayak still pulling his power from his prison?"

"Don't you remember, Joshua?" the Elder asked. "Chrono's body was created using Crayak's power. So Chrono is acting like a receptor for the power. And with Crayak possessing him, the rate at which he's absorbing the power is boosted quite substantially."

Joshua bowed his head. "Right... I keep forgetting that."

"Joshua, there's something I want to ask you," the Elder said after a long moment of silence.

Joshua looked up. "Yes? What is it?"

"Your sister, Rosette, how is she?"

The Apostle looked away, the subject of his sister being a very sensitive one for him. "Okay, I guess. She still won't talk to me. Or anyone else for that matter. She's still not eating very well. I think she's gotten thinner from the last time I've visited her. I'm really worried about her. If this keeps up, she's gonna starve herself to death."

"But she's still alive, right?"

"Of course she is! Why wouldn't she be?" Joshua said angrily.

The Elder sighed. "Joshua... I don't know how to tell you this but... From my calculations, Rosette should have run out of Astral energy and died over three weeks ago."

Joshua felt like he had been punched in the gut. "She... what?"

The Elder nodded. "But, somehow, she's still alive. I don't know how that's possible. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever."

"I don't care if it doesn't make any sense to you! Rosette's alive and that's all that should matter to us!"

The Elder stared at Joshua and the angry look he had on his face. Turning away from him, he said, "You're right, it shouldn't matter how much time she has left or when she was supposed to die. Rosette's here with us right now and that's the most important thing. I'm sorry for bringing it up."

Joshua scowled at the Elder's back then turned and stalked away.

"The flowers are on my workbench in the main room," the Elder called out to him.

Joshua didn't bother to answer back. He simply grabbed the bouquet and left the hut, slamming the door on his way out.

"You really shouldn't have done that, Elder," Father Remington said, pulling his jacket on. "You know how sensitive he is about his sister."

"I know."

"Then why?"

"Curiosity. Rosette's ability to live beyond what I thought she would has been nagging at me for some time now. As a scientist, I just can't let something go without it being answered."

"I might have an answer," Shader said, stepping around the corner.

The Elder raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and what might that be?"

"Chrono's horns. You told me that Rosette was the one that removed them from Joshua's head, right? What if, while pulling them off of Joshua's head, her body absorbed some of the Astral energy that they were gathering?"

The Elder scratched his chin while he thought about this, then said, "That could be possible. And it would explain why she's been able to live this long. The gathered Astral energy would have given her already depleted supply an extra boot, refilling what she had used up."

"Although," Shader said sadly, "how much Astral she absorbed and how much time she has left is still unknown to us. It could be a few more weeks, or a month. We have no idea of knowing."

"And that's the worst part of it all," said the Elder. "Knowing she's going to die, but not knowing when. I wonder if she felt the same way we do when she was under the Contract with Chrono. I don't see how she could have lived with it."

"But she did live with it and it made her stronger than any of us," Father Remington said.

"Until now," whispered Shader.

(Yes,) thought Father Remington, (until now.)

-----------------------------

Joshua stormed across the convent grounds, an intense scowl on his face. He was still upset with the Elder and the subject of his sister. But, at the same time, it pointed out something that Joshua didn't want to think about.

The fact that Rosette was running out of time.

That alone scared him more than anything else in the world. If she was to die before he was able to reunite her with Chrono, he would never be able to forgive himself. Just as he could never forgive himself for HER death.

Joshua stopped walking and the scowl on his face gave way to an overwhelming look of sadness. Yes, HER death. The single most important person that he held close to his heart -- other than his sister, of course -- had been killed right in front of him and he had been too weak to help her. To weak in so many ways.

Joshua started walking again, slower this time as he came closer to his final destination. Nestled in the back of the Magdalan Order's grounds, out of view from outsiders, a memorial cemetery had been erected to honor those who had given their lives while trying to evacuate New York City.

Although located at the Magdalan Order, the cemetery was home to people who were outside the Order, but helped just as much as they did. Police officers, firemen, and National Guardsmen who had lost their lives were laid to rest there as well.

Once Joshua entered the cemetery, his body automatically started to move between the rows of headstones. Coming to a stop, the Apostle kneeled down and brushed the snow off the top of the headstone he was looking for. He placed the bouquet on the ground in front of it and took a step back. He read the name engraved on the stone and tried not to cry. But it was no use. His vision became blurry and he felt the tears start to slide down his face.

_Florette "Fiore" Harvenheit_

_Born: July 19, 1904_

_Died: January 16, 1926_

_Beloved sister and cherished lover. May her soul find everlasting peace within the Kingdom of God._

Fiore's body had been taken back to Germany by Satella and laid to rest at the family estate. Satella hadn't returned to the States afterwards. And Joshua couldn't blame her. Why would she want to be around the person who was responsible for her sister's death? He wouldn't want to be around that person either. But, unfortunately for him, he couldn't escape from himself. He would have to live with the pain of loosing Fiore. Now and forever.

Joshua was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of crunching snow behind him. Turning around, he saw Azmaria walking towards him, her cold-weather coat pulled tightly around her.

"I thought I would find you here," she said, coming to stand beside him.

"Azmaria? What are you doing here?"

"You never came when you were finished talking to Rosette. I was worried about you." The female Apostle blushed after saying this.

Joshua snorted. "I've only been gone for an hour. No need to panic. Besides, I'm sure that if I tried something like that again, you wouldn't find me in time."

Azmaria bit her bottom lip, feeling the tears at the corners of her eyes. A few escaped and fell down her cheeks when she looked up into his face.

Joshua looked at Azmaria for a split second then turned his attention back to the headstone. "Sorry," he whispered, "bad attempt at a joke." A moment of silence passed between them before he asked her, "You still worry about me when I'm alone, don't you?"

"All the time," she whispered, taking his hand in her own.

Joshua sighed inwardly. He couldn't tell Azmaria not to worry about him when she had every right in the world to.

After the death of Fiore, Joshua had slipped into a deep depression. He had shut himself off from everyone around him and stopped eating for days on end. He would have suffered the same fate as his sister if it hadn't been for Azmaria. She had refused to let him drown in his sorrow and did everything in her power to try and bring him out of his depression. She would visit him everyday and talk to him all the time, even though he didn't answer back.

Even with Azmaria's constant support, Joshua couldn't take the immense pain he felt in his heart. Finally, he came to a decision; he would be reunited with Fiore -- one way or another. Waiting until Azmaria went on patrol, he retrieved a pocket knife that he kept hidden from everyone and slit both of his wrists.

He didn't remember how long he sat in his room, watching his blood ooze out of his wrists to form a pool of crimson on the hardwood floor. Finally, his vision started to get blurry and he found it extremely hard to keep his eyes open. Joshua smiled. It wouldn't be long now. A few more minuets and he would be reunited with Fiore. As his vision gave way to darkness, Azmaria had picked that exact moment to enter his room.

Joshua could only guess what she had done when she saw him. Screamed probably, he didn't really remember. He was already too far gone. Then, almost painfully, he was suddenly jerked back into reality. He began to panic. He didn't want this! He wanted to die. He wanted to be with Fiore again. When he was able to open his eyes again, the protests he had been ready to voice died on his lips.

Azmaria was kneeling in front of him with her hands wrapped around his bloody wrists. Her wings were spread out to their full length and she was softly singing her Gregorian Hymn with tears falling unchecked down her face.

In that instant, Joshua had thought she was the most beautiful being he had ever seen. His own personal Guardian Angel.

His own personal Guardian Angel that immediately slapped him when his wrists were healed over. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder, repeating over and over that he'd better not do something that stupid ever again.

After that little incident, Joshua had gradually pulled himself out of his depression. And Azmaria had been beside him the entire time. Even after they had both been accepted into the Militia, she still refused to leave him. And secretly, Joshua didn't want her to.

This brought him to his current dilemma. Even though he still loved Fiore with all his heart, he could feel himself starting to have feelings for Azmaria. Feelings that went beyond just regular friendship.

And he hated himself for feeling this way. How could he even think about having these feelings for Azmaria? He was betraying Fiore's memory by doing this! Joshua had done everything in his power to rid himself of these feelings, but they refused to go away. And it was driving him insane.

(As if things weren't complicated enough,) he thought angrily.

"Joshua, is something wrong?" Azmaria asked, her head slightly tilted to the side.

"Not really," he said, trying to avoid eye contact with her.

"You're lying."

One of Joshua's eyebrows twitched. "Why do you say that?"

"Because," Azmaria said, looking up into his face, "you can never look me in the eyes when you lie to me."

Joshua snorted. "You know me too well."

Azmaria just smiled. "Now, do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

Joshua sighed. There was no point trying to hide something from Azmaria. She always found out sooner or later. A great annoyance on his part sometimes.

"I found out some rather... disturbing news from the Elder."

Azmaria nodded, encouraging him on.

"It turns out that Crayak will be able to free himself from his confinement by the end of this month."

Azmaria's hands went to her mouth. "But, that's in less than two weeks!"

Joshua nodded. "Yeah."

(No sense in telling her about Rosette. She has enough to worry about already.)

"What are we going to do? The Elder hasn't finished the Gate yet. How are we supposed to rescue Chrono?"

"I wish I could tell you, Azmaria. But I don't have any answers. Neither does the Elder."

Azmaria looked as if she was going to cry again. "This can't be."

Joshua sneaked a glance at Azmaria then quickly turned away, clenching his teeth. He had to stomp down on the irresistible urge to take Azmaria up in his arms and hold her until she stopped crying, until all her sadness was gone. But he couldn't. No matter how much he wanted to, he just couldn't. He would be betraying Fiore if he did.

"I'm turning in," he said, walking away from the headstone. He had to put as much distance between himself and Azmaria before he gave into his desires. "I would suggest that you do the same. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Azmaria didn't have a chance to answer before Joshua was gone, leaving her standing alone in the graveyard as fresh snow started falling. Without really thinking about it, she brought the hand that had been holding Joshua's and placed it on her cheek. She smiled to herself.

It was still warm.

-----------------------------

In New Jersey, a young woman in her early twenties with long, flowing red hair stepped off a luxury liner in the early morning hours. She was greeted by an elderly gentleman who ushered her to a waiting car. Getting behind the wheel, the man started the car and began the long drive north.

-----------------------------

Azmaria walked down the dark corroders of the Magdalan Order, her path lit by the small flashlight she held in her hand. Her other hand was gently holding one of Rosette's as she was being led to the women's showers. Azmaria had started taking her showers after everyone had gone asleep so she could bathe Rosette as well. She didn't do it because of modesty's sake -- far be it from that -- she was anything but body shy. No, her reason for waiting this late in the evening was to avoid the looks that Rosette would receive from her fellow Sisters. The looks of pity from those who knew her and the looks of fear she would get from the new Sisters.

Rosette had always been a person of strength, both physically and emotionally. And even though most wouldn't admit it, a lot of the Sisters had looked up to her and tried to follow her example. Excluding the property damage of course. But all that had changed when Chrono had been taken away from her. The strength that had seemed to radiate off of her in waves suddenly disappeared, leaving Rosette in the state she was in now. Azmaria had started taking Rosette to the showers after everyone else was asleep soon after. Not just to avoid everyone's questioning gaze, but also because she didn't want everybody to see the horrible state that Rosette was in now. To see the woman that everyone held in such high regard reduced to an empty shell of her former self.

They reached the showers and Azmaria lead Rosette inside, turning on the light as she entered. Rosette didn't as much as flinch at the bright light that assaulted her vision. She just continued to stare straight ahead, her eyes as dull and clouded as ever. Releasing Rosette's hand, Azmaria quickly undressed herself and Rosette. Grabbing a nearby stool the Apostle led Rosette into a stall and sat her down. Turning the water on, Azmaria quickly washed herself then started on Rosette.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to do this the past couple of days," she whispered to her best friend and surrogate sister. "Things have been really hectic lately. The Fiends have been building up their numbers and attacking the barrier more often than they used to. It's got everyone on edge. Also, I think that Joshua is hiding something from me. Don't you just hate it when he doses that?"

Rosette didn't say anything, but Azmaria didn't mind.

Azmaria paused in the middle of washing Rosette's hair and bit her bottom lip. "Actually, there's something else I want to talk to you about. It's about Joshua. Oh, don't worry, nothings happened to him. It's just that... I'm worried about him. Actually, I worry about him all the time. Even when he's out of my sight only for a second, I find myself wishing he was there beside me."

Azmaria bowed her head when she felt herself blush. "Rosette, I think... I think I'm in love with Joshua. But, even if I am, I know he'll never return my feelings. He's still in love with Miss Fiore. And I know he'll never betray her memory."

The Apostle sniffed as tears started to slide down her face, mixing with the still running water. "I don't know what to do, Rosette. I want him to notice me and choose me, but at the same time, I don't want to make it seem like I'm forcing him to choose between me and Miss Fiore. I just don't know what to do. I'm so confused."

Azmaria never received an answer from Rosette. Instead all she got was the sound of her own crying as it echoed off the shower walls.

-----------------------------

"Father Joshua, wake up! Father Joshua!"

Joshua's eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright in bed to the shouting of his name and the pounding on his door.

"I'm awake!" he shouted. "Come in!"

The pounding stopped and his door swung open. Joshua turned on his bedside lamp to see who had woken him up at... ten o'clock at night!

"This had better be important," he growled, rubbing his eyes. "I'm still on duty recovery."

"I'm sorry, Father, but there's a strange woman at the front gate asking to be let on the grounds."

"Front gate?" Joshua stopped rubbing his eyes and looked at the Order member that was standing in front of him. Joshua recognized him as one of the newer members of the Order. "Brother Morris? Where's you partner? Alex?"

The Third Class exorcist shifted the weight of his fully loaded Thompson sub-machinegun. He ran a hand through his blond hair and sighed. "He's still at the gate. He's holding the woman there."

"Why did you come to me about this matter? It's up to Sister Kate weather or not civilians are allowed on the grounds. Not me."

Brother Morris nodded. "I know, Father. But when we told the woman that she couldn't come in without the Head Sisters permission, she started asking for you."

Joshua raised an eyebrow. "Asking for me? You mean she knows me?"

"Or so she says," the Third Class said, shrugging. "What do you want us to do? Should we send her away?"

Joshua bit his bottom lip in thought then said, "No. Go back to your post; I'll be out there in five minuets."

The sentry nodded and left.

Joshua hauled himself out of bed and quickly got dressed. Not taking any chances, he grabbed his Colt six-shooter and checked it for bullets. Satisfied that it was fully loaded, he holstered the gun and grabbed is cold-weather coat, pulling it on. Leaving his room, he quickly made his way out of the men's dorm, nodding a greeting to the sentry that was roaming the halls.

The moment he stepped outside he was hit by the cold once again. He instinctively pulled his coat tighter around him and tried to ignore the fact that his face felt like it was going numb.

"I swear, the temperature must have dropped a couple degrees since this morning," he grumbled to himself.

Joshua finally reached the front gate and saw the two sentries and a still running car with its headlight on, but no woman.

"Okay," he said to the two Order members, "where is she?"

"She's in the car, Father," the second sentry, Alex, said. "Said it was too damn cold out here and I'm entitled to agree with her."

"I second that," Brother Morris said.

"You'll get no argument from me," Joshua said. "Brother Morris, tell our guest to step out of the car. I'll have a word with her."

"Alright. But I'll warn you, Father. You might want to watch the way to talk to her. I think she's an aristocrat. She seemed a little stuck-up to me."

Joshua nodded and sent the Order member on his way. Inwardly he groaned. (Great. Just what I needed. One of the filthy rich. I don't know how much more of this I can take.)

One of the car doors opened moments later and Joshua got a glimpse at who their late night guest was. She was tall and had a red fur coat pulled tightly around her. Her long, red hair stopped just below the small of her back and was tied off at the end with a yellow ribbon.

Joshua didn't even need to see her face to know who their guest was. His heart dropped into the pit of his stomach and he felt all the color drain away from his face.

"Miss... Miss Satella...?"

Satella smiled sweetly at the distraught Apostle. "Hello, Joshua. It's been a long time."

(End of Part Six)

------------------------------

Author's Rant: I LIVE! I thought I was never going to finish this chapter. It seems that my muse decided to up and disappear on me so it took me longer than normal to finish this chapter. I hope you all continue to enjoy reading this fic as much as I enjoy writing it. I'm sorry if it seems a little shorter than my previous ones, but I don't want to jam all my ideas into one chapter. Anyway, thanks for the C&C and I'll be looking forward to hearing what y'all think.

Next chapter:

-- Battle plans are made as different forces start to gather

See ya next chapter.


	7. Gathering

I do not own Chrono Crusade, it belongs to Daisuke Moriyama. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow.

This story takes place before the team leaves for San Francisco. After that it takes a sharp left into my own Alternate Universe. I will be using elements from both the Manga and Anime. Enjoy. C&C is appreciated.

Text Key:

() -- thoughts

'**BOLD**' -- sound effects

_Speech_ -- Chrono/Demons in true form

-----------------------------

Black Sabbath

Part Seven: Gathering

By: Anime Otaku

-----------------------------

"_Even if we had every Angel from Heaven and every Devil from Pandemonium, could we even begin to stand a chance at defeating a being that is on the same level as God?"_

_-Father Ewan Remington_

_----------------------------------_

Magdalan Order Headquarters, New York Branch, 1928

Vyacheslav Aleksanyan -- or Alex as he was more commonly known in the Magdalan Order -- and his family immigrated to the United States from Russia when he was still just a child. Like most immigrants of his time, his family came to the States in search of the American Dream. And through hard work and determination, Vyacheslav's father found it. Working at a steel mill, he was able to bring in enough money to feed his family, send his son to school and have them live somewhat comfortably.

Unfortunately, disaster soon struck the Aleksanyan family. When Vyacheslav was ten there was an accident at the steel mill where his father worked. Though not involved in the accident directly, Vyacheslav's father was killed while trying to save some of the other workers.

After that, things became tough. Vyacheslav's mother had a series of odd jobs that she would do but it was barely enough to feed the two of them and keep her son in school. So Vyacheslave quit and took to selling papers on the street corner. It helped, somewhat, but money was still tight and food was very thin.

Finally, with the threat of being thrown out on the streets drawing closer, Vyacheslav's mother did the only thing she could think of doing to make sure that her child didn't starve to death.

She began to sell her body.

She never told her son what it was that she did, only that it required her to stay out very late and to rest during the day. She didn't like the work she did but, if it was for her son, she would do anything.

Vyacheslave, for the most part, didn't understand why he couldn't see his mother as much as he used to, but he still tried to help her out as much as he could when she was home. He would wake her up for work and would give her all the money that he made from his paper sales. He had even become a decent cook and usually had some food waiting for his mother when she returned home.

But the little slice of Heaven that the two had found didn't last long. Vyacheslav's mother soon became very ill. She told her son not to worry and that she would be over it in no time. But she never did and as the days went on she became visibly weaker and weaker. Finally one day after coming home from selling his papers, Vyacheslave went into his mother's room to give her the money he had earned and found her dead.

The funeral was a rather small one. Only he and some of his mother's close friends showed up. After that, Vyacheslave was sent to an orphanage where he eventually met his friend and future partner, Jason Morris. Unable to pronounce his name correctly, Jason had shortened down Vyacheslav's last name to simply Alex.

The two left the orphanage at fifteen and took to stealing in order to survive on the streets. As luck would have it -- or misfortune as Jason would put it -- the two landed at the Magdalan Order after a failed attempt at pick-pocketing an undercover member.

The two were then given an option; they could join the Order and 'repent' for their crimes. Or they could go to prison. They didn't need to be asked twice.

Which is how they ended up here, freezing cold and ushering Order members through the front gate of the grounds. Aleksanyan, for his part, was glad to be a part of the Order. Jason, on the other hand, wasn't as enthusiastic.

"Jesus Christ, I'm freezing my ass off!" he complained. "How the hell did I get stuck with gate watch? Again!"

Aleksanyan shifted the weight of his Thompson and sighed. "Are planning on complaining all night about this? Because if you are, I'll just shoot you right here and now and save my ears the pain."

Jason snorted. "You'd be doing me a favor. At least then I wouldn't be as cold as I am now."

The Russian native sighed. "You are such a pain in the ass, you know? How is it that you and me have remained friends for so long?"

Jason smirked. "My overwhelming charisma and charm captured you and has refused to let you go."

Aleksanyan made a disgusted face. "Save that line for the women you try and pick up. It doesn't work on me."

The two chuckled and lapsed into silence. A convoy of Order cars came to the gate and the two let them inside.

"Hey, Aleksanyan?" Jason asked after a while.

Aleksanyan raised an eyebrow. (He used my full name. He must have something serious to talk about.)

"Yes, Comrade, what is it?" Aleksanyan used the nickname that he only gave to the people that he trusted the most to show that he was ready to listen to whatever he had to say. And take it seriously.

"There sure have been a lot of Order members gathering here lately. And they're all from different branches."

"Really?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah. Most are from the East Coast but, I'm pretty sure that I saw a few from the Chicago branch. And I know that I saw Father Gilliam as well. And he's all the way out in the West Coast! Just what the hell is going on here?"

Aleksanyan thought for a few moments then said, "I think we're going to launch an assault on New York City soon."

Jason's eyes went wide. "Are they crazy? Don't they remember what happened the last time we did that? Just what the hell are they thinking?"

His partner shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe they finally found a way to take down Crayak."

Jason turned away and frowned. "I hope you're right, Aleksanyan. I lost a lot of good friends the first time through. I don't feel like loosing anymore."

Aleksanyan slowly nodded. "I know how you feel, Comrade. I lost many as well."

The two soon drifted off into silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Jason finally broke the silence when he stretched.

"Oh well," he said, "I'm not really all that worried."

Aleksanyan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why's that?"

"Because if we get into a real pickle, we always have the Mad Russian to come and save us," he said with a smirk.

Aleksanyan started to growl in irritation, but couldn't help it and ended up laughing instead. "I'll try not to let you down, Comrade."

Jason smiled and turned towards the road as another convoy of Order cars started heading their way.

"I know you won't, Alex," his voice serious. "I know you won't."

-----------------------------

Sister Kate, Father Remington and Father Gilliam all watched through the window of Sister Kate's office as the army of Order members came through the front gate by the hundreds. The members dismounted their vehicles and began to set up a tent city on the convent grounds. They could see Joshua as he directed them where to go.

"It won't be enough," Father Remington said darkly. "In the end we'll become nothing more than a liability to the others."

"That's a harsh thing to say, Ewan. Especially since we haven't even spoken to the others yet," Father Gilliam said.

Father Remington's eyes narrowed. "I'm merely being realistic, Jack. And realistically, we don't stand a chance."

"But you're still going to fight, aren't you, Ewan?"

Father Remington closed his eyes. "Of course I'm going to fight. I've never given up before and, even though the odds are against us, I'm not going to give up now."

"I'm glad to hear that, Father Remington," Sister Kate said. "We are going to need everyone that we can spare for this battle."

Father Gilliam nodded. "And what a battle it will be. Angels, humans and demons working together to defeat a common foe. I don't believe that anything like this had ever happened before."

"It hasn't."

The three whirled abound and saw Duke Duffau sitting on the arms of one of the couches. Pulling a few hairs from his beard, he looked up and fixed all of them with a cool stare.

"And it will never happen again. No matter the outcome."

Sister Kate nodded a greeting. "Duke Duffau, welcome. I'm glad to see that you came."

"The very survival of Pandemonium is at stake, why wouldn't I come here?"

"I didn't mean it like that..."

"How many demons will Pandemonium send us?" Father Remington asked, cutting off Sister Kate and changing the subject at the same time.

Duffau twisted the hairs between his fingers before blowing them away. "A hundred thousand."

"A hundred THOUSAND?" Father Remington shouted. "Only a hundred thousand? Surely she can send more than that!"

"They're all Pursuers," Duffau said calmly. "The strongest demons in all of Pandemonium. Myself included. They will be enough."

"I hope you're right," Sister Kate said.

"I am. What about your forces?"

"Right now we're a thousand strong with another one thousand arriving tomorrow," Father Gilliam said.

Duffau nodded. "Impressive. What about Gabriel and his Angels?"

Sister Kate shook her head. "No word as of yet."

Duffau smirked. "Predictable. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't show up at all."

"But we did."

All eyes turned to see Gabriel by the office doors, dressed in an all white business suit.

"The Father is sending eight thousand Archangels under my command to help us fight against Crayak," he said as he walked forward to stand beside Duffau.

"A force of Angels, demons and humans one hundred and ten thousand strong," Father Gilliam mused. "It might just work."

Sister Kate looked out her window. "I hope it does. For us and for them."

Nobody had to ask who she was talking about.

-----------------------------

Joshua was exhausted.

Since five a.m. this morning he had been directing the arriving Order members where to go and set up their tents. He had no idea what time it was now. Only that it was late in the evening. Thankfully, the sun hadn't set all the way yet so he could still see what he was doing.

As the last car of the currently arriving stick came through the front gate and was sent to its respective area, Joshua let loose a long, tired sigh. His eyelids felt so heavy and it was becoming hard to keep them open. Even while he was standing up. If he didn't get any sleep soon, he was going to collapse from exhaustion right here and right now.

"Joshua, are you alright?"

The Apostle rubbed his eyes and turned around. He was met with a blurry image of Clair. At least, he thought it was Clair. Her hands were folded in front of her and her head was tilted to the side with a look of worry -- at least that's what Joshua thought it was -- on her face.

"Yeah, I'm alright," he sighed, which turned into a yawn. "Just a little tired."

Clair shook her head. "You're a little more than tired, Joshua. I know that you've been doing this since the first convoy arrived this morning." Walking closer to him, Claire leaned in close and looked into his eyes. "Go. Get. Some. Sleep."

Joshua swallowed and took a slight step back. Rosette used to look at him the same way when he would try and stay up all night and finish the latest dime story novel that he bought. To say that Joshua was a bit rattled was an understatement. So, naturally, he caved in.

"Alright," he sighed, slumping his shoulders. "I'll get some sleep."

Clair smiled sweetly at him. "Thank you."

The Apostle turned around and walked away. "I swear," he grumbled, "you and Rosette can be so alike it's scary sometimes."

When Joshua was halfway to the men's dorms, he suddenly stopped and looked in direction of the graveyard. He didn't know what strange impulse made him do it, but, he started walking in its direction. When he reached the entrance he saw a lone figure standing in front of a grave that he was very familiar with.

"Miss Satella," he whispered.

As if she had heard him, the Jewel Witch turned around and beckoned him forward. Joshua swallowed loudly and slowly made his way over to Fiore's grave.

"You really loved my sister, didn't you?" Satella asked once Joshua was standing beside her.

"I still do," Joshua said in a whisper. "I still do."

The two lapsed into a period of silence before Satella finally said; "When Florette and I were reunited four years ago, I was so happy. Whatever spell had been placed on her by Aion was gone and she fully recognized me for who I was. But, even though she was my sister and loved me because of that, I could also see how much she loved you."

Satella chuckled. "I'll admit that I was a little jealous of you. You had what I really wanted most at that time. My big sister's attention. But I wasn't worried. I was convinced that Florette and I would have all the time in the world to be with each other, so I didn't mind sharing her with you. I could see that you loved her just as much."

Satella's jaw clenched and tears started to brim at the corners of her eyes. "But then, just as I was getting used to having Florette back with me again, she was taken away from me. You will never know how angry I was when you told me that she was dead, how much I wanted to hate you for taking my sister away from me again."

Satella closed her eyes, a few tears escaping them. "And I did hate you. I hated you so much that it hurt. For the past three years, I've spent every waking moment of my life hating you and cursing your name, wishing that you had never met my sister. And I would have spent the rest of my life hating you if it hadn't been for my sister."

Joshua looked at Satella for the first time since he came into the graveyard. "What?"

Satella opened her eyes and looked to the sky. "I had a dream about her one night. She came to me and asked if I still hated you. Naturally I told her yes and that I would for the rest of my life. Do you know what she did after that? She smiled at me. She smiled at me and said that it was okay for me to hate you. As long as it was for the right reasons."

"What happened afterwards?" Joshua asked softly.

"I did some thinking. A lot of thinking actually. I thought about all the reasons that I hated you and came back with the same conclusion every time. You took my sister away from me and I hated you for that. I was about to dismiss the dream and continue blindly hating you when a thought struck my mind. Yes, it was true that I hated you for taking my sister away from me. But, did I hate you because of her death? That was what Florette was trying to make me see."

Joshua tensed up. "And what was your answer."

Satella smiled. "The answer, believe it or not, was no."

Joshua gasped, he eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

"Surprised? Believe me, so was I. Confused was more like it. I kept thinking to myself how could I not hate you for Florette's death? Then I realized that you weren't responsible for her death. She chose to sacrifice herself to protect you. Just like she had done for me when Aion attacked us."

"So... you don't hate me?" Joshua asked in a whisper.

Satella walked over and put her arms around Joshua's shoulders, pulling him into a hug. "No. No, I don't hate you anymore. I can't. That's why I came back. To make sure that my feelings weren't misguided and to apologize to you for hating you for so long." Satella sniffed and tightened her hold on Joshua. "And also to thank you, for loving my sister as much as you did. You made her extremely happy."

Joshua slowly brought his arms up and returned the hug, a few tears dropping from his eyes. "Thank you."

Nothing more was said between them. Nothing needed to be. Satella had forgiven him and Joshua's heart was at ease. That was all that mattered to him.

-----------------------------

Azmaria smiled as she watched the scene unfold before her. She had seen and heard everything that had transpired between Joshua and Miss Satella. She was happy for Joshua, she really was. Miss Satella had forgiven him and she was sure that some of the burden that he had carried after Miss Fiore's death was lifted a little. But, at the same time, she was also extremely sad. Once again, Joshua had displayed his undying love for Miss Fiore and it broke her heart.

Turning away from the two, Azmaria headed in the direction of the women's dorm. But with every step she took, she could feel her heart breaking little by little.

(Why?) she asked herself as tears started flowing down her face. (Why do I want to be near him when I know that there's no room for me inside his heart? Why do I keep trying?)

Azmaria was halted in her thoughts when a tremendous explosion shook the entire convent grounds and sent her to her knees. Looking up she saw black smoke coming from the direction of the Elder's workshop.

Quickly getting to her feet, Azmaria took off running towards the workshop.

-----------------------------

The Elder closed the panel on the last of the receptors that he was working on and made sure the screws were nice and tight. Stepping back, he did one last check to make sure that everything was in working order.

"Okay," he said, "ready over here."

"Same here," Shader said, stepping back from her panel. "We can start anytime you like, Elder."

The old man nodded. "Alright then. Let's give it a try."

Stepping over to a large control panel, the Elder looked down at the four levers that corresponded to the four receptors that were attached to the Gate.

Taking hold of the first lever, the Elder took a deep breath and said, "Alright, here we go. Activating receptor number one... now!"

The Elder pulled the lever and waited. The soft hum of the activated receptor invaded the quite of the room as it started to gather Astral energy from a nearby window and stored it within itself. Shader walked over to the receptor and checked a gauge.

"So far so good," she said. "We're still in the green."

The Elder nodded. "Alright. Activating number two." Again, he pulled another lever and the second receptor came to life.

Shader walked over and checked that one as well. "No problems here," she called. "They're both still okay."

"Very well." Placing his hand on the third lever, the Elder paused for a moment and tightened his grip. "This is it. Time to see if the past four years of our lives meant something. Activating number three... now!"

The Elder pulled the lever and the third receptor came to life. The hum of the activated machines became louder and the Astral energy that was flowing into the room increased greatly. Shader quickly checked the three receptors, holding her breath at the same time.

This was the crucial point in the procedure. In the past she and the Elder had never been able to activate the fourth receptor. The first three always shorted out and exploded five minuets after the third ones activation. There was simply too much Astral energy being stored at one place at one time. And over the past three years, herself and the Elder had been trying to figure out a way to overcome this obstacle. But their ideas had always ended in failure. But, maybe this time, it would work.

Looking down at the gages, Shader let loose the breath she had been holding and nearly shouted with joy. "We're still in the green, Elder. And it's been over five minuets!"

The Elder blinked behind his red-tinted glasses. "Really?"

Shader nodded excitedly. "Yes! In fact, we're going on ten minuets right now!"

The Elder smiled. "Well I'll be! This is great. We just might do it this time." Grabbing the last lever, the Elder gave Shader one last look.

The cat-demon knew what this meant and quickly checked the gauges again. She nodded. "Still green. We can activate anytime."

"Alright then. Activating fourth receptor... now!" The lever was pulled and they both waited.

The hum got to near deafening levels and the entire room suddenly turned green as more Astral energy was drawn into the receptors. Shader quickly went between each receptor, checking to make sure they didn't overload like last time.

As for the Elder, he simply watched Shader work and kept repeating over and over again in a low voice, "Please let it work. Please let it work. Please let it--"

"Elder, we have a problem!" Shader suddenly shouted. "Receptors two and four are approaching redline! One and three in the yellow!"

"Damn it! We were so close! I'm shutting them down." Turning to the control panel, the Elder pulled all four levers at the same time. "Well?"

"No good! Astral is still being absorbed!" she said in a panicked voice. "Two and four approaching critical mass! One and three in the red! They won't last much longer!"

"Blast it! No time left! Shader, get over here!" Grabbing the stationary cat-demon by her lab coat, the Elder drug her behind a nearby wall and covered his ears. Shader flattened hers to her head and covered them as well.

The flow of Astral energy began to bend and fluctuate as all four receptors reached critical mass. They exploded seconds later, black smoke and bright green light filling the room. Coughing and wheezing, the two scientists pulled themselves from behind the wall.

"Find a window, Shader," the Elder wheezed. "I can't breath."

"I'm trying, Elder. But I can't see anything."

At that moment the door to the back room flew open and Azmaria ran inside. "Elder! Shader! Are you all right?"

"We're fine, Azmaria," Shader shouted. "But we can't breath. Help us find some windows to open."

"All right. Hang on!"

Azmaria turned around and started to head for the main room and open the window in there, but didn't look where she was going and ran into Joshua, who had followed her after he heard the explosion. Squealing in surprise, Azmaria started to fall backwards when Joshua reached out and grabbed her, pulling her close to his body.

"You okay, Azmaria?" he asked her.

Cheeks flaming red, the Apostle nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Joshua smiled. "Good. I'd hate to see you hurt because of me."

Azmaria smiled back at him, but inside she nearly cried. (But I already have been.)

"Come on," he said, releasing her, "let's get this smoke out of here."

With Azmaria and Satella's help, Joshua got all the smoke out of the workshop. The Elder and Shader thanked them and tried to remove some of the soot from their cloths. The tip of Shader's tail had been singed somehow and she wined about how long it would take her to get the blackness out of her fur. Joshua couldn't help but laugh.

"Damn it!" the Elder cursed, kicking a blown up receptor box. "This'll take me a week to repair! And we're pressed for time enough as it is."

"What the heck is going on here?" Satella asked as she stepped through the doorway.

"The Elder tried to activate the Gate again," Joshua told her.

"Again?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You mean he still hasn't figured it out yet?" Joshua shook his head. "And he's been working on it for how long?"

"About three years," Azmaria said. "The Elder wants to use the Gate to put us closer to Chrono. That way we won't have to cross all of New York City to get to him."

"Makes sense," Satella said as she watched Shader and the Elder gather up the unusable parts. "So what happened this time?"

Joshua shrugged. "The same thing that happens every time. The collected Astral become too much for the receptors to handle and they exploded."

Satella put a finger to her chin in thought. "Why don't you just have a constant flow of Astral energy coming into the Gate?"

"We tried that already," the Elder said as he dumped the parts into the trash. "None of the receptors that I have created are powerful enough to draw in the correct amount of Astral energy needed to power the Gate with a constant flow. If I was going to do that, I would need a receptor the size of Ricardo's blimp."

"Why so big?" Azmaria asked.

"We're talking about punching a hole through space and time itself. It's going to require a very large amount of Astral to power something that can do that," the Elder said.

"Oh."

"We could always use the other method," Joshua said, looking at Azmaria.

The Elder sternly shook his head. "No. Absolutely not! I refuse to do it."

"But, Elder, it may be the only chance that we have," Azmaria said.

"Again, no."

Satella leaned in close to Shader and whispered, "What's the other method?"

"To use the Apostles," the cat-demon whispered back. "I've calculated that with all seven Apostles present, we would have enough Astral energy flowing into the Gate to power it and use it to our hearts content."

Satella blinked. "Sounds like a good backup plan. Why doesn't the Elder want to do it?"

"He doesn't want us to feel like we're nothing but tools," Azmaria said, moving over to stand by the two women. She watched the Elder and Joshua argue back and forth for a moment then said, "Aion tried to use us for his own reasons. The Elder just doesn't want us to feel like we're being put in the same position again. That's all."

Satella nodded. "Good intentions."

"It is," Azmaria agreed. "But, he may not have a choice."

Satella tilted her head to the side. "Why not?"

"Crayak will be able to escape his bindings by the end of the week," Shader said.

Satella's mouth dropped open. "What? This can't be!"

Azmaria nodded. "It's true. That's why the Elder is trying so hard to complete the Gate. We need to rescue Chrono so he and Rosette can be together again."

"Speaking of Rosette, where is she? I haven't seen her since I got here."

Shader and Azmaria looked at each other then back at Satella. "You mean you didn't know?" Azmaria asked.

"Know what?"

Azmaria took Satella's hand and led her out of the Elder's workshop. "I'll show you."

-----------------------------

Satella could not believe what she was seeing. Her mind couldn't register that the ghostly pail woman sitting in front of her was really Rosette Christopher. It was sheer insanity.

"This can't be," she whispered.

"But it is," Azmaria said in a low voice.

"How?"

"Chrono," Azmaria explained. "After he was taken away from her, Rosette just stopped caring about everything. And nothing we say or do can get through to her."

"What the hell?" Satella said, the fists balled and shaking. "How can you just sit there and do nothing while everyone is out doing something about the problem."

Before Azmaria could react, Satella grabbed Rosette by the front of her nightgown and pulled her close to her face. "Aren't you the one who's always saying that we should keep moving forward no matter what? And not let anything, not even time, stop us? Huh? Well aren't you?"

Rosette didn't answer and Satella's grip loosened on the nightgown, letting Rosette slide down to her sitting position again. Her body wracked with emotion, Satella slid down to her knees and put her head on Rosette's bed. Azmaria walked forward and knelt down beside the Jewel Witch.

Listening very carefully, she could hear Satella saying over and over again, "Why? Why? Why? Why...?"

The Apostle put her arm around the woman's shaking form and pulled her close. "It's all right, Miss Satella. Just you wait. We'll get Chrono back and Rosette will be her old self again. You'll see."

But Azmaria had to wonder. Did she really mean the words she spoke? Or, was she just saying that so she wouldn't break down and cry like Miss Satella was doing right now.

The answer to the question escaped her.

-----------------------------

"All I'm saying is that you should at least consider the option."

"And, again, I'm telling you that I will not."

The Elder and Joshua had been arguing back and forth for the past five minuets. Joshua, trying to convince the scientist to use the Apostles to power the Gate. But the Elder refused to give any ground. No matter what Joshua said, he would not, absolutely would NOT, use the Apostles to power the Gate. They were human beings, not some tool for anyone to use at their convince.

Joshua scowled. (Stubborn old coot! Always making things harder than they have to be.)

The Elder snorted. "Don't even make that face at me, you little punk! I've made my decision and I'm standing by it. End of discussion!"

Joshua groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "You stubborn old... Azmaria, I'd really like you help--! Azmaria? Where'd she go?"

"She left with Satella a few minutes ago," Shader said, dumping the last of the broken parts into the trash. "I'm surprised it took you this long to notice."

"I was a little distracted," Joshua said, glaring at the Elder.

The Elder simply folded his arms over his chest and snorted.

Shader looked between the two men, a look of worry on her face. She had to think of a way to ease the tension between the two before the situation turned ugly. Thankfully Satella and Azmaria waked through the door at that moment, and she let loose a sigh of relief.

"Are you alright, Miss Satella?" Shader asked once she noticed the woman's red rimmed eyes.

The German woman sniffed once. "I'll be okay. Really."

Shader didn't press the issue. Instead she turned to the Elder and asked, "So what do we do now? Should we start to rebuild the receptors and try again?"

"What's the use?" the Elder sighed. "We'll just end up failing again. Plus there's no time to rebuild the receptors. It's hopeless."

Everyone was shocked. They had never heard the Elder talk like this before. To have him just give up on a failed experiment was unheard of. They all watched as the weapons developer walked over and sat down at a workbench, his shoulders hunched in defeat.

"Elder?" Shader whispered.

When he didn't answer, she tried to move towards him but Joshua put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. With a slight shake of his head, he ushered Shader and the rest of the women out of the room and into the main workshop.

"Poor Elder," Azmaria said. "I've never seen him like this before."

"Neither have I," Joshua agreed. "There has to be something we can do to help him out."

"But we've tried everything," Shader said, looking up from a table with blueprints scattered all over it. "And every time we rebuild and retry the receptors, the machines still explode. Nothing we do seems to work."

The group fell into silence, each person -- or in Shader's case, demon -- tried to think of a way to help the Elder get out of his newly found slump. They stood around for at least five minuets before a thought crossed Satella's mind.

"Shader, can I ask you something?"

The cat-demon didn't look up from her blueprints, but nodded her head to show that she was listening.

"You said that you tried everything mechanical wise and had no success, correct?"

Again Shader nodded.

"Have you ever thought of using something non-mechanical? At least where the actual receptor mechanism is concerned?"

That got Shader's attention. Looking over her shoulder, she asked, "Such as?"

"My jewels. Do you think you could use them to store the amount of Astral you need in order to get the Gate to work?"

"Could they really do that?" Joshua asked, excitement growing in his voice.

Satella shrugged. "I don't see why not."

Azmaria said, "But, I thought that your jewels worked on magic, not Astral energy."

"You're correct. To a certain extent my jewels do use magic. But they also use a vast amount of Astral energy."

Shader blinked. "How?"

Satella put a finger to her chin in thought. "How to explain this...? Alright! How about this. The jewels I use do require some magic power in order to use them, but, I don't use that magic to create the monster per say."

"Then how?"

"The magic lies in the controlling of the monster. Once summoned, I have a psychic established link with the beast. That way I can control it with my thoughts. In truth the jewel monsters are nothing more than my thoughts and emotions given physical form. That's the magic usage on my part."

"But how are they given physical form?" Joshua asked.

"That's where my psychic link comes in. I have to envision in my mind what I want the summoned monster to look like. It usually depends on which jewel I'm using. After I have the picture in my mind, I call forth the beast's spirit from the jewel. Now this is where the magic of the jewels comes in. The jewel releases the monster's spirit and at the same time gathers Astral energy from the Astral Lines. The energy is stored within the jewel until there is enough of it and then it releases it. The monster's spirit is then encased within a crystallized body of Astral energy and then I can control the monster how I see fit afterwards. The whole process seems long, but in reality only takes about five seconds."

The whole room was quite, each person going over the new information that Satella had given them in their minds. Joshua and Azmaria both had big grins on their faces and Shader was practically radiating excitement.

"Miss Satella," the cat-demon said, "do you have any idea what this means?"

"Not really."

"It means that their is still hope. If what you said is true, then the Elder and I could create a new type of receptor. One that used you jewels to store and release the Astral energy that we need to power the Gate." Shader's ears and tail stood strait up and she let loose a squeal of happiness. "This is just to--"

"PERFECT!"

Everyone turned around to see the Elder standing in the doorway, a smile on his face and tears streaming down his cheeks. Rushing forward, he wrapped his arms around Satella's waist and buried his face in her chest.

"Oh, Miss Satella," he cried in perverted glee. "You have no idea how happy you've made this old man! And how happy you're making him right now. I feel like my old self again." The Elder confirmed this by slipping his hands lower and giving Satella's rear a nice squeeze.

Satella turned red with a mixture of embarrassment and furry and brought a fist up. "Why you sneaky, little PERVERT!"

The German woman proceeded to whack the Elder over the head repeatedly until he finally let go of her and sank to the floor in an unconscious heap. Satella dusted her hands off and stared down at the old man.

"Serves you right," she mumbled.

Joshua and Azmaria couldn't help but laugh at the Elders antics. The two looked at each other and before Azmaria could say anything, Joshua wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He then spun her around in circles, laughing all the while.

"This is great!" he said, over and over again. He laughed again and sat Azmaria down, but didn't let go of her.

Azmaria at this point didn't know what to think. While she loved being held by Joshua, she didn't know if it was because he was excited or if it was because of something more.

(If only I knew how he felt,) she thought to herself. (I could understand him a little bit more.)

The clearing of someone's throat alerted the two that they were still holding on to each other. They both blushed darkly and quickly separated, turning away from each other in embarrassment.

"S-sorry about that," Joshua stuttered.

"I-it's okay, really," Azmaria replied.

The two shared an uncomfortable silence before Joshua cleared this throat.

"Well," he said, he cheeks still slightly pink. "I'd better go tell Sister Kate about this."

"W-wait! I'll come with you," Azmaria said, starting for the door.

"No!" Joshua said, the tone of his voice making the female Apostle stop in her tracks. "You stay here. I'll be okay on my own."

"Joshua..."

Joshua quickly left the workshop, leaving Azmaria staring at his retreating form, feeling more confused than ever before.

"It'll be okay, kitten," Shader said, coming up behind Azmaria and giving her a hug. "He'll realize his true feelings towards you soon, you'll see. Everything will be okay, I promise you."

Azmaria sniffed and nodded. "Thank you, Miss Shader."

Shader just smiled. Releasing Azmaria, she walked over to the Elder and grabbed him by his collar. "C'mon, Elder, let's go. We've got a lot of work to do and little time to do it in. Miss Satella, would you come with me? I might need your help with a few things."

With Satella following behind her, Shader dragged the Elder's limp form into the back room and shut the door, leaving Azmaria along in the main room with nothing but her thoughts.

-----------------------------

Joshua walked across the convent grounds, his mind going a mile a minute and his heart a confused whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Why had he done that? It was bad enough that he had grabbed Azmaria in the first place, but then he didn't let her go when he sat her back down. Things were getting out of control. It was like his heart had more control over his body than his mind did.

"Why?" he softly lamented. "Why does this have to be so damn hard? And why does it have to hurt so much?"

Joshua wasn't a fool. He knew that he was in love with Azmaria. He also knew that he shouldn't be. He also knew that if he acknowledged his feelings for Azmaria, then that would mean that he was betraying Fiore's memory. But it was becoming harder and harder, he realized, to ignore his feelings for Azmaria. If he didn't do something, and soon, he was going to give in to his desires and tell Azmaria how he felt.

Joshua clenched his teeth in anger. That was the absolute last thing that he wanted to do.

Lifting his face to the sky, he softly prayed, "Help me, Fiore. Please, help me. I don't know what to do anymore."

He didn't receive an answer. And he didn't really expect to get one. Sighing in defeat, Joshua started walking again. Before he realized it, he was in front of the double doors that lead to Sister Kate's office.

"Come in," she called after he knocked.

Joshua walked inside and stopped short of the threshold when he saw who was inside.

"Oh, sorry," he said. "I didn't know you were busy. I'll come back later."

"It's alright, Joshua," Father Remington said. "Please, come in."

The Apostle walked in far enough to close the door but didn't move any closer to the group. Sister Kate and Father Remington looked at each other, confused, but didn't say anything.

"So, what can I do for you, Joshua?" Sister Kate asked.

"I've just come to tell everyone the good news," he said, the excitement back in his voice. "The Elder might have a way to activate the Gate at last."

Sister Kate smiled. "Really? That's wonderful, Joshua. This means that we can use our original plan."

Duffau raised an eyebrow. "And what plan was that?"

Father Remington said, "We're going to use the Gate to transport a small strike force right on Crayak's doorstep. They would then locate him and return Chrono's horns to his head, driving out Crayak and saving Chrono."

"That's a suicide mission, Ewan," Father Gilliam said.

"I realize this," Sister Kate said. "However, it is also a very good way to end this conflict without anymore loss of life."

"And what if it doesn't work?" Father Gilliam asked. "What then?"

"Then we do as originally planned," Father Remington said. "We'll attack Crayak with the bulk of our forces in a last ditch effort to save this world."

"It'll work," Joshua said, his face set in determination. "I'll make sure that it does."

(Then Rosette will be reunited with Chrono and she'll be her old self again. And we'll finally all be together, just like before. Then we can all put this nightmare behind us once and for all.)

But for some odd reason, Joshua wasn't convinced by his own words.

-----------------------------

The next few days seemed to pass by at a snail pace for Joshua. He tried not to think about the upcoming mission that he would be on and did everything in his power to keep his mind focused on other things. He spent the majority of his time in the pistol range, sharpening his marksman skills to a finally honed edge. He wanted to be ready for anything that came his way.

Other times, he could be found practicing with his crucifix-sword. But it never really helped much. The days still dragged on slowly, making him more agitated than ever before. And the nights were worse.

Every night, Joshua would lie awake in his room, staring up at the ceiling, trying not to think abut the next day and will himself to sleep. It never worked and he would always end up staying awake half the night.

For him, this was a bad thing. Because no matter what, no matter how hard he tried, his thoughts -- and dreams, when he actually did fall asleep -- always turned towards Azmaria.

Again, his thoughts and feelings towards her were thrown into utter confusion. And even worse, he felt his desire to protect her and be with her slowly covering over Fiore's place in his heart.

That realization scared him more than anything else.

So he did the only thing he could think of. He tried to avoid her at all costs. This, however, didn't work out as well as he had hoped. She seemed to be everywhere that he went. Weather it be physically or in his thoughts. And it was driving him to the brink of insanity. Even worse, she had told him that she was coming with him when he led the assault on Crayak.

"I'm going with you and that's final," she had said with a stomp of her foot and a frown on her face.

Joshua tried to maker her change her mind, he really did. But she was stubborn to the very end and refused to have her mind changed. And secretly, no matter how much he tried to deny it, he was glad that she was coming with him.

Joshua sighed and rolled over on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Tomorrow was the day. The Elder and Shader had said that the Gate would be complete by tomorrow afternoon and he could leave by that night. He couldn't have been happier. After four years of waiting, he would finally have the chance to set things right.

Joshua felt his eyes getting heavy and smiled to himself. He was going to need all the sleep he could get. Tomorrow was going to be a very busy day. And an even busier night.

-----------------------------

Azmaria stood alone in the shower, barely aware of the warm water as it cascaded down her body. Her mind was too caught up in other things. And most of them were centered on a certain Apostle.

His actions over the past couple of days had been so confusing. When the day they had learned that the Elder might be able to finally get the Gate to work, he had been so happy, holding her like a lover would. Then he had harshly pushed her away before going to see Sister Kate. And this whole week, he had been doing his best to ignore her.

It was confusing at first, then she had realized what he was doing. He was trying to stay loyal to Miss Fiore's memory.

It tore at her every time she thought about it. He was trying so hard to stay faithful to someone who wasn't alive anymore. Strangely enough, it sounded exactly like the same thing that Chrono had done. But Chrono had found Rosette and he had loved her just as much, if not more than, he had loved Mary.

(If Chrono was able to do it,) she thought to herself, (then why won't Joshua? What keeps him attached to Miss Fiore's memory?)

The answers escaped her. Just like they did every time she asked them. Shutting the water off, Azmaria stepped out of the stall and grabbed a nearby towel. As she was drying herself off, she didn't notice the shower room door open and Satella walk inside.

"Azmaria?"

The Apostle squealed in surprise and whirled around, the towel pressed close to her body. "Miss Satella? What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you actually. I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."

"Well, sure, I guess. What do you want to talk about?"

Satella shook her head. "Not here. Come to my sister's grave. I'll tell you there."

And with that she was gone. Azmaria stared at the door in confusion then shook her head. Quickly drying off, she ran to her room and got dressed, wondering what Miss Satella could want to tell her.

-----------------------------

"Thank you for coming out her," Satella said as Azmaria walked up beside her, the Apostle's cold-weather coat pulled tightly around her body. Satella had her own red fur-coat as well, although it still didn't do very much to keep out the cold.

"Not at all," Azmaria said, smiling sweetly. "So, what is it you would like to talk to me about?"

"I want to talk about you and Joshua."

Azmaria blinked. "Oh?"

"Yes. But, before I start, I have to know one very important thing. And you have to answer me truthfully."

"Okay."

Satella looked Azmaria in the eyes. "Do you love him?"

Azmaria blushed dark red but didn't look away from Satella. "Yes. Yes, I do love him. With all my heart."

Satella smiled. "Just as I thought."

The exorcist tilted her head to the side. "Why do you ask?"

"Because Joshua loves you just as much, if not more so."

Azmaria looked away. "That's not true. He just cares about me as a friend, nothing more. It's Miss Fiore that he still loves, not me."

Satella chuckled. "Oh, but that's where you're wrong. Joshua does love you, he just can't bring himself to admit it fully to himself."

"Why not?" Azmaria whispered, hope in her voice.

"It's mainly because of my sister and what happened to her." Satella was looking at Fiore's grave as she said this.

Azmaria began, "I understand that--"

"I don't think you do," Satella said, cutting her off. "At least, not all of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know how my sister died?"

Azmaria shook her head. "No, I don't. Joshua never told me and I never asked him. The subject seemed rather painful to him."

Satella nodded. "I figured just as much. Then maybe I should tell you. You remember what happened after Crayak was sealed away in New York City, right?"

"Yeah. The Magdalan Order evacuated everyone off the island. It took them six months to do it."

"That's right. And near the end of the campaign Rosette was injured and taken out of the fight. After the city was fully evacuated, the barrier was raised and no one was allowed on the island again. I learned from the Elder that when Rosette heard this she started to fall into her depression. And it was this that led to my sister's death."

Azmaria blinked. "I don't understand."

Satella smiled. "When Joshua saw what was happening to his sister and he wasn't able to bring her out of it himself, he decided to take matters into his own hands to save her."

Azmaria thought about what Satella said for a bit then gasped. "Chrono. He went to try and save Chrono."

The German woman nodded. "That's right. Without telling anyone, he took Chrono's horns and snuck out of the Order all by himself. But, somehow, my sister found out and went after him." At this point Satella had tears in her eyes but found the strength to push forward. "About halfway into the city, Joshua was attacked by Fiends. Somehow Florette arrived just in time to push him out of the way and take the blow that was meant for him. He used his wings to fly back to the Magdalan Order with my sister in his arms. She died before he had the chance to try and use his powers on her."

Azmaria was on the verge of tears. "That's horrible."

Satella nodded. "Yes. And it also explains why Joshua acts the way that he does towards you."

Azmaria blinked in confusion. "It does?"

"It does. He's afraid of loosing you, too. He's afraid of caring for you because if he were to loose you as well, it would undoubtedly crush him, heart and soul. Even though he's part of the Militia, he still doesn't think of himself as strong enough to protect those he cares about."

"But that's not true! Joshua's strong. I know he is."

"YOU know he is. But he doesn't believe it himself. And that's why he tries to push you away. To save himself the pain."

"How?" Azmaria said, bowing her head. "How do I help him? How can I show him that he is strong?"

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you, Azmaria. You'll have to find the answer on your own. And you will have to do it quickly. Before Joshua drowns himself in my sister's memory and his on misery."

"I won't let him," the Apostle said, her head snapping up with a look of determination on her face. "I'll find a way, Miss Satella. I'm not going to loose Joshua to himself, no matter what it takes."

Satella smiled down at the young woman. "I know you will, Azmaria. I know you will."

-----------------------------

Morning came to the Magdalan Order and both the Elder and Shader were exhausted. Leaning back with a tired sigh, the Elder wiped is brow with the back of his sleeve and looked at the Gate.

"Finally," he said. "After four years of work and toil, we can finally get this thing to work."

"I think it was worth all those all-nighters that we pulled to get us here," Shader said from beside him.

The Elder nodded in agreement. "That it was. And I couldn't have done it without you, Shader. Thank you."

Shader smiled. "Think nothing of it. All of you took me in and protected me when I was going to be executed by Duffau. I had to repay my debt to you somehow."

"So what will you do now that your debt is repaid?"

"I think I'll stick around her for a little longer. I rather like it here."

The Elder nodded. "I'm glad to hear it. Everyone here has grown fond of you, Shader, and they would hate to see you leave. Epically Joshua. Plus, I'm not long for this world and I'll need someone to carry on in my place. I was hoping that it would be you."

"Oh, Elder," Shader squealed, "I'd be happy to carry on in your place."

The Elder smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. But I've still got a lot of life left in me so don't count me out of the game yet."

Shader giggled. "Of course not."

"Well, then," the weapons developer said, stretching. "I think I'm going to grab a short nap before everyone starts showing up."

"Okay. I'll clean up and run a few more tests on the Gate."

The Elder slowly walked away. "That's fine. Wake me up around noon. That should be enough time."

Shader waved to him. "Sure thing. See ya at noon."

-----------------------------

Noon came quicker than the Elder would have liked but he didn't complain about it. Because this particular afternoon was special for a very good reason. It marked the beginning of a rescue mission that was long since overdue. Azmaria and Satella were in the Elder's workshop standing in front of the now-completed Gate. The Elder and Shader were going between each receptor, giving them one last full examination.

"Children," the Elder said at last, "it's done!"

Azmaria clapped her hands together. "You mean it works? We can finally us it?"

"Of course you can," Shader said. "We give it our very own 'Seal of Approval'.

The Elder nodded in agreement. "That's right. You can leave here at anytime that you like. Just say the word and you're gone."

"So how did you get it to work this time?" Azmaria asked.

"It was quite simple, really." Shader shot him a look. "Er, once we got the right parts for it, anyway."

"Excuse me!" Satella said, clearly offended. "But my jewels are not 'parts'! Their priceless treasures. And I would appreciate it if you treated them as such."

The Elder started to sweat. "T-that's not what I... I mean... Oh, will you just be quite and let me explain how this thing works?"

Everyone's mouths snapped shut.

"That's better. Now, unlike my previous receptors, these can not be activated by normal machinery. That's why I have Miss Satella here with us. With her, we will be able to activate the receptors through her jewels. Once the jewel's have enough Astral energy gathered in them, she will release the stored Astral and activate the Gate. Any questions?"

No one had any.

"Excellent." He turned to Azmaria. "You can leave whenever you like, my dear."

Azmaria smiled at the Elder. "That's wonderful. I'm so happy. But we won't be leaving just yet."

The Elder pouted. "And why now? I've spent the last four years of my life working on this thing. And I'm eager to see how well it works. I think that I deserve that much at least, don't you?"

"I agree with you, Elder. But, we can't leave because Joshua isn't hear with us," Azmaria said.

Shader scratched behind her ears. "Well, where is he?"

"He's getting the last piece of equipment," Satella said, looking out a nearby window.

The Elder raised an eyebrow. "Equipment?"

Azmaria nodded. "He's getting Chrono's horns."

-----------------------------

Joshua quietly entered his sister's room, his eyes instantly adjusting to the dim lighting. She was sitting up in her bed as normal, staring blankly ahead at nothing. Crossing over to her, he knelt beside her bed and took a hand in his.

"Hello, Rosette," he whispered. "I have something to tell you. The Elder finally got the Gate to work. Do you know what that means? We can save Chrono now. And that's what me and Azmaria are going to do. But, before we leave, we need Chrono's horns. So, I'm going to take them with me and when I come back, I'll have Chrono with me as well. I promise."

Letting go of her hand, Joshua reached over and took hold of the music box on Rosette's bedside table. The moment he touched the box a sharp pain laced through one of his wrists and he cried out. Looking down at it, he saw Rosette's hand wrapped around it. Turning to face his sister, his mouth dropped open and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

Rosette slowly turned to face him. The moment she locked eyes with him, the fire seemed to erupt within her again and Joshua watched in amazement as her clouded, grey eyes slowly turned their bright, ocean-blue once again.

"Ro... Rosette?" Joshua managed to stutter out.

Rosette's hand tightened on his wrist and her eyes narrowed.

"Take me with you."

(End of Part Seven)

------------------------------

Author's Rant: HA-HA! Cliffhanger! How do you like me now? Oh, yes, I am so evil. After three days of thinking, I finally figured out how I wanted to end this chapter. And what better way than with a cliffhanger? Rejoice, all those who have followed this story from the very beginning, for it is almost over. Will Joshua choose Azmaria? Will Rosette be reunited with Chrono? Or, will Crayak escape and destroy all of humanity? Well... I'm not gonna tell you! You'll just have to keep reading to find out. Hehehehe... I can't wait to hear from everyone.

Next chapter:

-- Confrontation

See ya next chapter.


	8. Tears

I do not own Chrono Crusade, it belongs to Daisuke Moriyama. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow.

This story takes place before the team leaves for San Francisco. After that it takes a sharp left into my own Alternate Universe. I will be using elements from both the Manga and Anime. Enjoy. C&C is appreciated.

Text Key:

() -- thoughts

**BOLD **-- sound effects

Speech -- Chrono/Demons in true form

-----------------------------

Black Sabbath

Part Eight: Tears

By: Anime Otaku

-----------------------------

"_For the past fourteen years, I have done nothing but shed tears of sorrow. But, perhaps after today, the tears that I shed from now on will be those of happiness."_

_-Satella Harvenheit_

_----------------------------------_

Magdalan Order Headquarters, New York Branch, 1928

"NO! Absolutely not! I refuse! Do you hear me, Rosette? I simply FORBID it!

Rosette stood in front of Sister Kate and didn't even flinch at the older woman's outburst. Her Militia uniform hung loosely on her body and sagged slightly to one side from the weight of her gun holster.

"Look at you, Rosette," she continued. "You don't even fit into your uniform anymore. And you've rarely used your legs for the past four years on your own. And you're telling me that you want to go on a dangerous mission like this one, without completely recovering your former strength! No! I will not allow it!"

"I'm still going," Rosette said, her voice sounding more mature than Sister Kate could ever remember it being. "With or without your permission."

"But, Rosette!"

"Please, Rosette," Father Remington said, coming to Sister Kate's aid. "Sister Kate is right about a lot of things, you know. You really are in no condition to fight a battle right now. At least think this over first."

"I have," Rosette said instantly. "And quite frankly, I'm disgusted with myself. Four years, Sister Kate. For four years, I sat back and did nothing while everyone else was fighting. I let myself be consumed by my sadness and depression. That's why I have to do this. I have to redeem myself in everyone's eyes."

"But that doesn't mean you have to do it by going on a suicide mission!" Sister Kate shouted.

"I've made my choice. I'm going. For myself and for Chrono. Now, if you'll excuse me." Spinning on her heal, Rosette walked out of Sister Kate's office, a slight wobble in her step.

"Rosette, wait!"

But Rosette wasn't listening as she walked out, the door softly closing behind her.

"That girl... is so... STUBBORN!" Sister Kate said, leaning back in her chair.

Father Remington chuckled beside her. "Well, it's nice to know that she hasn't changed that much."

"This is no laughing matter!" Sister Kate said, slamming her palms on the desk. "If she goes after Chrono in her condition she will DIE!"

"Perhaps," Father Remington said rather calmly. "Or, perhaps not. Remember, she will have Joshua and Azmaria going with her and they will not let her come to any harm."

"But will they be enough?"

"I personally trained them both in the Militia. It will be enough."

Sister Kate looked up at the priest. "You sound awfully confident in them, Father Remington. Why is that?"

Father Remington leaned against Sister Kate's desk and crossed his arms. "Because, they all have someone that they love to protect on this mission. And that will make them stronger than they are now."

"And who's that?"

Father Remington looked at Sister Kate and smiled. "Each other."

-----------------------------

Joshua walked back to the Elder's hut in a daze. Rosette's sudden awakening had left him in a state of confusion. Questions of 'How had she woken up?' and 'How long had she been aware of everything?' raced through his mind without being answered.

The moment that Rosette had first spoke, she didn't even wait for a response from Joshua. She had simply let go of his hand and gotten out of her bed. Wobbling slightly, she had walked over to her closet and pulled out her Militia uniform. With complete disregard for her brother's presence, she had changed clothes right in front of him.

He'd tried to follow her to wherever she was going, but she sternly told him to go back to the Elder's hut and wait there for her. So, he did. What other choice did he have? Joshua hadn't even realized that he was at the Elder's hut until he nearly ran into the door. Still in a slight daze, he walked inside and headed for the back room.

"So, did you get them?" the Elder asked him the second he walked through the front door.

Joshua blinked and looked at him. "Get what?"

The Elder had to resist the urge to slap himself in the face. "Don't tell me you forgot them?"

"Forgot what?"

"The horns, Joshua! The horns!"

"Oh... right. The horns. Rosette has them."

At this point, Azmaria decided to intervene before Joshua sent the Elder into cardiac arrest.

"Joshua," she said, softly, "we know that Rosette has the horns. That's why you went to go get them."

Joshua shook his head. "No, you don't understand, Azmaria. Rosette HAS the horns."

Azmaria looked at Satella who just shrugged in return. "Joshua," she said, "what are you talking about? You're not making any sense."

"None of this makes any sense!" he yelled in frustration, raking a hand through his blond hair. "None of this at all! Rosette... she... she's... she's..."

"Standing right behind you."

Joshua whirled around at his sister's voice and saw her standing in the doorway, her hands on her hips and a slight smirk on her face.

"So," she said, "are we going to start this thing up, or do I have to walk all the way to New York City?"

For a whole minute, no one moved. They all just stood and stared at Rosette. Finally something snapped within Azmaria. With tears in her eyes, the Apostle rushed Rosette and crashed into her, sending both women to the ground.

"Rosette!" she cried as she wrapped her arms around the blond woman. "You're awake! You're finally awake!"

Rosette had to struggle to get into a sitting positing, but when she did, she wrapped her arms around Azmaria and pulled her close.

"Yeah," she whispered to her, "I'm awake. And I'm sorry I was gone for so long."

Azmaria fiercely shook her head. "It's all right," she said, her face buried in Rosette's shoulder and tears falling down her face. "I forgive you. I'm just so glad that you're finally back with us!"

As Azmaria and Rosette shared their tearful reunion, Satella, Shader and the Elder watched on in shock. It was hard to believe that the woman sitting on the floor and holding a crying Azmaria was the same Rosette that had locked herself away from everyone for the past four years.

Satella was the first to recover her wits. With tears at the corners of her eyes, she walked over to Azmaria as she was helping Rosette to her feet. As soon as the nun was on her feet, Satella gently moved Azmaria to the side and stood in front of Rosette.

"Satella...?"

**TH-WHACK**

Everyone stared in disbelief at what Satella had done. Clutching her head, Rosette staggered back until she ran into the wall. Before anyone could react, Rosette's head snapped up and she glared at Satella in anger.

"What the hell did you do that for, you dumb Dora?" she yelled, her temper flaring. Veins popping out of her head, she stomped over to Satella and jammed a finger in her face. "Hey! I asked you a question! And you'd better give me an answer before I have to force one out of you!"

"That," Satella said calmly, "was for making everyone worry about you for the past four years. In reality you deserve a lot more than that. But, I was lenient."

"LENIENT? You call that being lenient?"

"Compared to what I originally had in mind? Yes, I do."

Rosette's temper deflated and she looked away from the German woman. "You're right," she whispered. "I do deserve a lot more than that."

Satella smiled and wrapped her arms around Rosette and pulled her close, a few tears escaping her eyes.

"Welcome back, Rosette," she said. "We've missed you."

"Yeah," said Rosette. "It's good to be back."

The two separated from each other and Rosette finished greeting the rest of the people in the room. Although, the greeting she gave to the Elder was a fist to the top of his head when he tried to feel her up.

Azmaria couldn't help but giggle. "It seems that Rosette is getting her old strength back."

"Yeah," Joshua said from beside her, a smile on his face. "What is it?" he asked when he realized that Azmaria was staring at him.

The Apostle blushed. "Nothing," she said smiling. "You just look happy. It's been a long time since I've seen you smile like that."

Joshua blinked. "Really? I hadn't noticed."

Azmaria nodded. "It has. I hope you continue to smile like this for me more often."

Joshua looked over at his sister, who was busy talking with Shader. "I'm not going to promise you anything, Azmaria."

Azmaria bowed her head in disappointment. "Oh. I see."

Joshua reached out and put a hand under her chin, tilting it up so he could look into her red pools.

"But I'll try. Okay?"

Azmaria looked at him with wide eyes then gave him a smile that was brighter than the sun. "Okay!"

"Hmmmmmmmm. Well, isn't this interesting."

Joshua and Azmaria turned to the sound of the voice and saw Rosette looking at them. Realizing the position they were in, they quickly separated and turned away from each other, bright blushes on each of their faces.

"D-Don't get any crazy ideas, Rosette," Joshua stammered.

"That's right," Azmaria added. "It's not what you think it is."

"Oh, really? So what is it then?"

"It's nothing!" Joshua blurted out. "Nothing at all!"

Azmaria felt a searing pain in her heart, but didn't let the hurt show on her face. Instead she just nodded. "He's right. It's... nothing." She looked away from Rosette. "Nothing at all...," she finished in a whisper.

Rosette looked between the two and shrugged. "Okay, if you say so. Now, let's get the Elder back on his feet so he can start the Gate up."

"I know just the thing to do that," Shader said. "Be right back. Azmaria, would you come with me? I might need your help getting what I need."

"Oh. Um, sure."

The two headed in the direction of the Elder's room and Satella soon left as well, muttering something about checking on the Gate, leaving Rosette and Joshua alone in the main room.

"You need to tell her," Rosette said.

Joshua stared at his sister in bewilderment. "Huh?"

"Azmaria. You need to tell her how you feel."

Joshua looked away in embarrassment. "I don't know what you're talking about. She's just a friend. That's all!"

"You can't fool me, Joshua," she said, walking up to him. "I know for a fact that you love Azmaria. You told me so yourself."

Joshua's eye's widened to the size of dinner plates and his mouth dropped open. "You... you heard?"

Rosette nodded. "I know I didn't answer you or make it obvious that I heard you, but I did. I heard everything that you and Azmaria ever said to me. And I remember it all."

Joshua bowed his head. "Then you also know why I can't tell her how I feel."

"I do. But that shouldn't stop you from moving on."

The Apostle's head snapped up. "What? Moving on?"

Rosette nodded. "Chrono had the same problem, you know? He had someone that he loved very much before he met me. Loved her so much that he left Aion and the Sinners so that she could live. She died right in front of his eyes as he was trying to protect her. Sound familiar?"

Joshua slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, it does. So the grave that we found him in..."

"That's right. It was the resting place of his first love. Mary Magdalene. He had planned on staying by her side until he died, but then he met us."

"How do you know all of this, Sis?"

"Because he told me. The first and last night that we were together, he told me about Mary." She looked at her brother. "And do you know what else he told me?"

Joshua shook his head. "No. What?"

"He told me that even though the loved me with all his heart, he would still have a special place for Mary inside of it."

"And that didn't upset you?"

Rosette shook her head. "Not at all. Why would it? I know how much Chrono loves me, so why should it bother me if he wants to keep Mary's memory alive inside of him? I can't tell him just to forget her, that would be too cruel."

Rosette put a hand on her brother's shoulder and smiled down at him. "Chrono was able to move on, so there's no reason that you can't do the same."

"But I'm scared," Joshua confessed. "I'm scared that if I tell Azmaria how much I love her, I'll forget about Fiore."

"You won't. If you loved Fiore as much as you say you do, then there's no way that you will ever be able to forget her."

The conversation between the two came to an end when Shader and Azmaria came back into the room with the means to wake up the Elder. Unfortunately the method that Shader had to use involved a pair of short bloomers that the Elder had obviously stolen from some of the Sisters. It took the combined effort of both Joshua and Azmaria to hold Rosette back so she wouldn't pound the old man into unconsciousness again.

After she had settled down, somewhat anyway, the Elder led them into the back room. After running one last check on the Gate, he turned to everyone and smiled.

"Is everyone ready?"

"Almost," Azmaria said. "Hold on." Turning to Rosette, she held out her .45 to the woman. "Here. It's yours. I took really good care of it for you."

Rosette looked at Azmaria and smiled, pushing the pistol back into her hands. "You keep it. I have all that I'm going to need right here," she said, patting her gun holster.

"What's in there?" Joshua asked.

"Chrono's horns."

"That's all you're taking?" the Elder shouted.

"That's all I need."

The Elder looked as if he was going to argue, but Shader put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.

"Fine," he said. "Let's get this show on the road."

The Elder looked at Satella who nodded in return. Spreading her arms open, she closed her eyes and shouted, "Laden!"

The four receptors started to glow and Satella had to concentrate hard so the spirits of her jewel monsters didn't escape. Everyone in the room watched in awe as the receptors gathered the Astral energy, causing the room to glow bright green.

"Fifty percent!" Shader said, looking at a gauge on the main control panel. The minuets ticked by and Shader told them how much closer they were to full power. Finally she shouted, "One hundred percent!"

"Miss Satella, do it now!" the Elder shouted.

Satella's eyes flew open and in that instant the stored Astral was released from her jewels. Everyone watched as the energy flowed from the receptors and into the Gate. When all the Astral was in the Gate, Shader pulled a switch on the control panel and waited.

The space above the Gate began to shimmer and ripple like the surface of a pond that just had a stone thrown into it. Then, in an explosion of Astral power that lit up the room, it opened. Through the portal everyone could see what appeared to be the lobby of a building.

"That's it!" Shader shouted. "The Gate's open! Hurry up and go!"

Rosette immediately grabbed Joshua and Azmaria's hands and gave them a squeeze. "Ready?"

They both nodded.

"Then let's go get Chrono!"

And with that, the three Militia members jumped through the Gate, which closed behind them in a flash of light.

"Good luck to you all," the Elder whispered.

-----------------------------

Chrysler Building, New York City

The light faded away and when the three opened their eyes, they found themselves in the lobby that they had seen at the Order.

"Did we make it?" Azmaria asked. "Are we in New York City?"

"We are," Rosette said from the door.

Joshua looked at her. "How do you know?"

Rosette pointed. "Look outside."

The two Apostles walked over to stand by Rosette and gasped at what they saw. The city was in ruins. The roads were cracked and had vegetation growing through. The buildings were missing most of their windows and had some vines trying to grow on the outside of them. And everywhere they looked, Fiends roamed the streets.

"Silent as a grave," Joshua whispered.

"And just as creepy," Rosette agreed.

The three turned away from the window and walked into the center of the lobby.

"So where do we go from here?" Azmaria asked.

We go up," Rosette said. "That's where we'll find Chrono."

"But how?" said Joshua. "We don't know which floor he'll be on. So how do we locate him?"

Rosette turned slightly to the side. "With these."

The two Apostles watched as Rosette's gun holster started to slightly shake and the horns on the inside rattled against each other.

"They will take us to Chrono. All we have to do is follow the direction that they tell us to go in."

Joshua smiled. "Alright, that's good enough for me. Lead the way, Sis."

The moment those words left Joshua's mouth the room suddenly went completely black. Someone screamed for a split second and then it was silent. When the darkness faded away, Azmaria was missing and her Colt was lying on the floor at the spot where she had been standing.

Joshua looked wildly around the room. "Azmaria? Azmaria, where are you? Answer me! Azmaria!"

"Crayak has her," Rosette said calmly, picking the pistol off the ground.

"What?" Joshua shouted.

"I felt his presence just before Azmaria screamed. It's hard to miss, even for a human. The evil you feel is just too much for someone to ignore."

"Well, how do we find her?"

Rosette looked at her brother and tossed him Azmaria's gun. "WE don't find her. You will."

Joshua pointed dumbly at himself. "Me?"

"Yes, you."

"But how? How am I supposed to find her if I don't know where to start looking?"

"You'll find her. You're both Apostles and you love her. It'll be alright."

"How can you be so calm at a time like this?" Joshua shouted, his grip on the pistol tightening.

Rosette smiled. "Because I believe in you."

"Huh?"

"Don't worry about it. Just go and find her."

"Wait! Where are you going?" Joshua asked Rosette as she began to walk away.

"I'm going to where I need to be. You should do the same." Rosette waved at him over her shoulder. "I'll see you later, Joshua."

"Dammit!" he cursed. "Rosette, you're not making any sense!"

Looking down at the gun in his hand, Joshua pushed his sister's cryptic messages aside for the moment and ran for the stairs.

(Hold on, Azmaria! I'm coming. And I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I swear it!)

-----------------------------

When the darkness finally vanished from her vision, Azmaria found herself in a very different place. After surveying the area with her eyes, she concluded that she was in one of the offices on one of the upper floors. When she tried to move, she found that the only part of her body that she could control was her head. She also felt like she was floating and looking down confirmed that. Her body was suspended several feet in the air. The light form the full moon that was coming in from the window cast her shadow on the floor and she saw that she was hanging in the air crucifix-style.

"SO, YOU'RE AZMARIA HENDRIC? NOT VERY IMPRESSIVE."

Azmaria tensed up, fear flooding her body. "W-Who's there? Who are you?"

A lone figure walked forward into the moonlight and Azmaria gasped in surprise and horror, her eyes widening.

"Miss... Miss Fiore? It can't be!"

The Fiore look-alike smiled and Azmaria felt a chill go down her spine. "IT IS AND, AT THE SAME TIME, IT ISN'T."

"Crayak!" she whispered, staring into the doppelganger's black, lifeless eyes.

"CORRECT."

"What are you doing with Miss Fiore's body?"

Crayak gave a little twirl and laughed. "NOT BAD, EH? THOUGH I'M VERY IMPRESSED WITH MY OWN WORK, I DON'T PLAN ON KEEPING THIS BODY. I'M SIMPLY BORROWING IT FOR THE MOMENT. WITH IT, I'LL BE ABLE TO KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE."

Azmaria swallowed. "What?"

Crayak smirked. "WHEN YOUR KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR COMES TO RESCUE YOU, HE'LL FIND NOT ONE, BUT _BOTH _WOMEN THAT HE LOVES IN THE SAME ROOM. UNFORTUNATELY, HE'LL ONLY BE ABLE TO SAVE ONE. AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT, HE MUST SACRIFICE THE OTHER. AND WE ALL KNOW WHICH ONE HE'LL CHOOSE. DON'T WE, AZMARIA?"

Azmaria shook her head. "No! I know Joshua! He would never do that! Never!"

Crayak tilted his head. "REALLY? ARE YOU SO SURE ABOUT THAT? YOU KNOW HOW MUCH JOSHUA LOVES FIORE AND HOW MUCH HE MISSES HER. WHAT'S TO STOP HIM FROM DOING ANYTHING TO GET HER BACK?"

Azmaria was silent.

"THAT'S RIGHT, YOU DON'T KNOW. NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU KNOW JOSHUA AS A PERSON, YOU DON'T KNOW HIS HEART. BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONE THING THAT HE REFUSES TO SHOW YOU." Crayak smirked evilly. "BUT, I KNOW IT. I KNOW THE DARKNESS THAT RESIDES DEEP WITHIN IT. AND USING THAT DARKNESS, I WILL MAKE HIM DO MY BIDDING. RIGHT BEFORE I KILL HIM."

"NO!" Azmaria shouted, tears in her eyes. "I won't let you do that! I won't!"

Crayak chuckled. "REALLY? I DON'T THINK THAT YOU ARE IN A POSITION TO BE TELLING ME WHAT I WILL AND WILL NOT DO. BUT, I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE ANY CHANCES. I'LL JUST HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T INTERFERE."

With a wave of his hand, Crayak moved Azmaria away form the window until she was hovering in front of him. The doppelganger grabbed the young Apostle by the chin and forced her to look into its eyes. Crayak closed the distance between them and sealed his lips over hers.

Azmaria's eyes widened and she tried to pull away, but Crayak kept a firm hold onto her. It was then that she noticed that she was getting very tired and it was becoming hard to keep her eyes open.

Finally, Crayak pulled away and released his hold on her. "SWEET DREAMS, LITTLE ONE. YOU WON'T BE WAKING UP ANYMORE."

Azmaria tried to find the energy to stay awake, but she couldn't. Crayak had drained her. The last thing she saw before she slipped into unconsciousness was the Fiore look-alike's smiling face and those hideous jet-black eyes.

-----------------------------

The adrenalin that had been pumping through Joshua's blood started to give out when the reached the fifth floor of the building. But the Apostle refused to stop. And he wouldn't, not until he found Azmaria. But, how was he supposed to find her? For the past five stories, he had been asking himself that same question without any answers. That is, until he reached the next floor.

The moment he sat foot on the sixth floor, Joshua felt Azmaria's presence. The aura of kindness that always seemed to radiate off her in waves was everywhere and he felt a little more at peace. The same way he always felt whenever Azmaria was by his side. But he wouldn't feel completely at peace until he found Azmaria and he knew that she was all right. Following Azmaria's presence, Joshua found himself in front of an office door and kicked it down, running inside with the .45 at the ready.

"Azmaria!" he shouted when he saw her limp form suspended in the air.

When she didn't answer him, fear gripped his heart and he ran forward. (Please! Please be alright, Azmaria! Don't leave me, too!)

Joshua skidded to a stop when he noticed that someone else was in the room besides himself.

"Who's there?" he demanded, bringing the pistol to bare. "Show yourself!"

The figure walked into the moonlight and Joshua dropped the pistol. "F-Fiore!"

Fiore smiled sweetly at him, her brown eyes sparkling in the moonlight. "Hello, Lord Joshua."

The Apostle slowly walked forward until he was standing in front of her. Reaching out with a badly shaking hand, he touched her cheek and gasped when he felt the warmth through his gloves.

"How?" he asked. "How is this possible."

"BECAUSE I WILLED IT."

Joshua jerked back and looked around the room, trying to find the owner of the voice that seemed to come from the darkness that surrounded them.

"Crayak," he hissed.

"VERY PERSPECTIVE."

"What kind of game are you playing!" Joshua shouted. "Why did you bring Fiore back?"

"NO GAME," Crayak said. "I SIMPLY WISH TO RETURN TO YOU WHAT GOD DEEMED FIT TO TAKE AWAY."

Joshua blinked. "What?"

"I KNOW YOU, JOSHUA CHRISTOPHER. I KNOW WHAT LIES WITHIN YOUR HEART. HOW YOU LONG TO SEE YOUR PRECIOUS FIORE AGAIN. AND HOW YOU WOULD GIVE ANYTHING TO HAVE HER WITH YOU ONCE AGAIN. I CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN."

"How?"

"AN EXCHANGE OF SORTS, YOU MIGHT SAY. I CAN'T GIVE YOU WHAT YOU WANT WITHOUT GETTING SOMETHING IN RETURN."

Joshua clenched his teeth. "Well, what do you want?"

Crayak smiled to himself. It was working. Just a little bit more. "WHAT I WANT, JOSHUA CHRISTOPHER, IS THE LIFE OF THAT GIRL. AZMARIA HENDRIC. TAKE HER LIFE, AND I SHALL RETURN FIORE TO YOU."

Joshua gasped and looked Azmaria. He shook his head. "Never! I won't kill her!"

The Apostle stiffened when he felt arms encircle him and Fiore pressed herself against him. "Please, Lord Joshua. Don't you want us to be together again? Don't you miss me at all?"

"Fiore...?"

"It's so easy. Just take her life and we can go back to the way things were. Just you and me. Together forever."

Joshua stood as still as a statue. His body was shaking and his hands kept curling and uncurling into fists.

"DO IT, JOSHUA," Crayak said, clearly becoming annoyed with the teenager's lack of action. "DO IT AND BE REUNITED WITH FIORE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE."

"Do it, Lord Joshua," Fiore whispered to him.

Joshua stopped shaking. Reaching up, he gently removed Fiore's arms from around him and walked forward, drawing his crucifix-sword and activating it.

"EXCELLENT," Crayak said. "YOU HAVE MADE THE CORRECT CHOICE."

Azmaria was lowered until she was level with Joshua. Looking back at Fiore one last time, he gripped his crucifix-sword tighter and raised it above his head.

-----------------------------

Azmaria didn't know how she found the energy to open her eyes, but she did. And what she saw when she opened them made her heart leap into her throat. Joshua stood before her, his crucifix-sword raised above him and his head bowed, causing his bangs to hid his eyes.

"Joshua...?"

When he didn't answer her, Azmaria became scared.

"Joshua," she tried again. "Joshua, please don't do this. Please, don't."

The young Apostle felt tears come to her eyes when Joshua still refused to answer her.

(So, this is it,) she thought. (He's made his choice. I should have know that he would choose Miss Fiore. But, I have to tell him something before I die.)

"Joshua, I... I just want you to know that... that I..." Azmaria felt her cheeks heat up. Jamming her eyes shut, she shouted, "I love you, Joshua! And I always will!"

Silence. And then, "...Forgive me."

Joshua swung his sword.

-----------------------------

Rosette didn't know how many stories she had climbed and quite frankly, she didn't really care. All she knew was that with each new floor that she came to, Chrono's horns shook a bit more each time. That meant she was getting closer to him and that alone gave her the strength to reach the next floor.

Finally, Rosette came to the end of the staircase right before it reached open air where construction had been going on.

She looked at the floor she was on. "Guess this is as far as I can go."

Rosette searched the floor until she came to a set of double doors. The horns were shaking more violently than before and it felt as if they were trying to break free of her holster. She looked back at the doors.

"In there, huh?" Grabbing the door handles, Rosette took a deep breath to calm herself. "I'm here, Chrono."

Rosette threw the doors open and walked inside.

-----------------------------

Screams of pain caused Azmaria to open her eyes just as the Fiore look-alike disappeared after being sliced in half by Joshua. The Apostle had his back turned to her and was breathing deeply, his crucifix-sword held in a white knuckle grip.

"Joshua..."

"YOU _FOOL_!" Crayak raged. "I GAVE YOU THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO BE WITH THE WOMAN THAT YOU LOVED AND YOU _THREW IT AWAY_!"

"I didn't throw anything away," he said, deactivating his sword. "I already am with the woman that I love. I was just to scared to admit it to myself."

Crayak growled and the whole building seemed to shake with his anger. "YOU INSIGNIFICANT LITTLE INSECT! I'LL SIMPLY KILL YOU BOTH MYSELF!"

The shadows in the room seemed to come to life and rushed forward, closing in on Joshua and Azmaria. But before they reached the two teens they stopped. For a long moment nothing happened then they heard Crayak chuckle.

"SO, SHE'S FINALLY HERE."

In an instant, Crayak's presence and the shadows disappeared from the room, leaving the two alone. The force holding Azmaria in the air went away and she dropped to the floor. Joshua ran over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, dropping his crucifix-sword.

"Azmaria! Azmaria, look at me! Are you okay? Azmaria!"

"Joshua...," she whispered, her shoulders shaking.

"Azmaria?"

"Joshua!" she shouted, throwing her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. "I was so scared! So scared..."

Joshua wrapped his arms around her as well and pulled her close. "I'm so glad that you're all right."

The two stayed like that for a long time, just holding each other. Azmaria, crying into Joshua's chest and Joshua, doing his best to comfort her.

"Joshua?" Azmaria sniffed.

"Yeah?" he whispered.

Azmaria pushed away from him slightly and lifted her tear-stained face to his. "Joshua, did you mean what you said earlier? About me being the woman that you l-l-lo..."

By now Azmaria's face was flaming red and she bowed her head, unable to finish what she was trying to say. But Joshua knew. Smiling to himself, he gently lifted her chin up so that he was staring into her eyes. Without word or warning, Joshua closed the space between them and kissed her.

"Does that answer your question?" he asked after the kiss had ended.

"Say it," she said, her eyes never leaving his. "I want to hear you say it."

Joshua couldn't help but smile. "I love you, Azmaria."

When Azmaria heard those words, she couldn't help it, she started to cry again. "Thank you," she said, burying her face into his chest. "I love you, too."

(Now and forever,) they each thought as they shared another kiss.

-----------------------------

Rosette felt her heart speed up as she walked into the empty conference room and saw Chrono standing at the other end of it, looking out of a window that took up the whole wall. The being inside him, Crayak, turned his body to face her and smiled.

"AH, WE MEET AGAIN, ROSETTE CHRISTOPHER."

Rosette noticed that Chrono's body was in his human disguise and that his headband and shirt was gone. She was somewhat relieved to see that his braid was still intact.

"And for the last time, Crayak," she said. "I'm sending you back to wherever it is that you came from."

Crayak chuckled. "THOSE ARE SOME RATHER BOLD WORDS COMING FROM YOU." The Destroyer glanced at Rosette's shaking gun holster. "HMMMM, I SEE THAT YOU HAVE CHRONO'S HORNS. WERE YOU PLANNING ON USING THOSE TO DRIVE ME OUT OF HIS BODY?"

Rosette's eyes narrowed. "That's the idea."

Crayak laughed at her. "THAT'S QUITE AN IMAGINATION YOU HAVE. HOW DO YOU PLAN ON GETTING CLOSE ENOUGH TO ME TO USE THEM?"

"Like this!"

Rosette's hand was a blur of motion as she pulled one of the horns out of her holster and threw it at Crayak. The Destroyer caught it and smirked at her.

"PATHETIC. DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT I WOULD SIMPLY LET YOU-- ARGH!"

Crayak screamed when the horn flashed brightly and burned his hand. When he let go of the horn it moved on its own and found its way onto the right side of Chrono's head. The flow of Astral energy going into Chrono's body sent Crayak to his knees in a scream of pain and anger.

"_HOW?_" he raged.

"Chrono's entire body has been consumed by your dark power. Anything that uses God's power is going to hurt you, no matter where it touches you," Rosette explained.

Crayak's eyes widened. "HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT?"

Rosette smirked as she pulled out the other horn. "I didn't. I just guessed."

"YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Crayak screamed, his right hand transforming into claws. He tried to get to his feet, but the Astral energy coursing through his body made him cry out in pain again when he moved and he was sent back to his knees.

"Now," she said, walking forward and standing in front of him. "Give me back my Chrono."

Rosette reached down to place the other horn on Chrono's head when she felt a mind-numbing pain explode throughout her body. Looking down, she saw Crayak's claws sticking into her chest and coming out her back. Blood leaked from the wounds and dripped down her Militia uniform to fall on the floor. Rosette slowly looked into Crayak's black eyes and saw him smiling.

"SORRY," he said, "BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM. HE'S MINE."

"Chrono...," she whispered, her vision starting to blur.

Her strength leaving her, Rosette acted quickly. She placed the other horn on Chrono's head and screamed in pain when Crayak jerked back, his claws ripping from her body. She fell on her back and stared at the ceiling as the whole building started to shake. There was a bright flash of white light and Rosette blacked out.

-----------------------------

Joshua and Azmaria separated from each other when the building started shaking and an inhuman scream of pain echoed throughout the whole building. Looking at each other, they immediately knew where the noise came form. Getting up, they ran out of the room, Azmaria scooping up her pistol on the way.

-----------------------------

Somewhere, deep within the most tiniest corners of his own subconscious, Chrono hid from the darkness. The darkness that had assaulted his hiding place for the past four years, trying everyday to break into his little sanctuary and destroy him. But, somehow, he had stayed hidden, untouched by the evil that lurked just beyond the stone doors of Magdalene's grave.

Unfortunately, his hiding place did nothing to block his memories. Everyday they would mercilessly play across his mind and he would have no choice but to sit and watch them. Slowly but surely they ate away at his sanity and drove him to the brink of madness. The only thing that kept him from succumbing to the madness that threatened him was his promise to Rosette. That he would never leave her. And so, he pushed back. Because he knew that once he gave in, it would all be over. The darkness would move in and completely consume him, erasing his very soul from existence.

Chrono looked up when he felt something. Something was different, he could tell. It was as if the darkness was somehow getting thinner. Getting up from his sitting position, he walked over to the stone doors and gasped in surprise when they started to creak open and white light filtered through the small opening.

He watched, mesmerized, as the light began to push back the darkness. He could feel Crayak's presence being forced out of his body. The Destroyer fought against it, but it was futile. Chrono smiled. This was it. This was the moment that he had been waiting for. Placing both hands on the doors, Chrono pushed them open and walked into the light.

-----------------------------

At the Magdalan Order, Sister Kate and Father Remington watched as a pillar of light erupted from the direction of New York City and shot into the heavens. The pillar stayed there for a few minuets then vanished.

"What just happened?" she asked.

"Crayak," Gabriel said, coming to stand beside her, "has been banished."

-----------------------------

Chrono shook his head as he pushed himself up on all fours, trying to clear his vision. Being given control of his body again for the first time in four years left him feeling weak and disoriented. The first thing that he noticed was that he had his horns back. The constant flow of Astral energy that came into his body was proof of that. When he got enough strength back, he pushed himself to his knees and took in the area around him. The moment his eyes landed on Rosette's body and the blood that surrounded it, he felt his heart drop into his stomach and his whole body go cold.

"Rosette!" he shouted, hurrying over to her side and gently lifting her into his arms. "Rosette! Wake up, Rosette! Please, open your eyes! Rosette!"

Chrono felt tears in his eyes when she didn't react and jammed them shut. "No. This can't be happening. It just can't!"

"Chrono..."

Chrono's eyes flew open and his heart lodged itself into his throat when he heard Rosette's voice and felt her hand on his cheek.

"Rosette!"

Rosette smiled up at him. "I'm... so glad... that you're back, Chrono. I've... missed you."

"Don't talk," he said, covering her hand with his own. "Save your strength. I'm gonna get you out of here and get you some help."

"No... please. Just let me stay here a little longer."

"Rosette..."

She smiled up at him. "It's too late for me, Chrono. Even... even I know that."

"But it's not supposed to end like this!" he chocked, tightening his hold on her. "Not like this."

"I know," Rosette said, tears in her eyes. "I don't want it to end like this either. But, I... I want you to be here with me until the end, Chrono."

A few tears rolled down Chrono's cheeks. "Rosette..."

Rosette felt the last of her strength leaving her and knew that it was almost time. Looking up into Chrono's maroon colored eyes, she smiled for him one last time and let her own slowly drift shut, never to open again.

Chrono pulled Rosette's limp body close and buried his face into her shoulder. His body convulsed as he sobbed into her neck, repeating over and over for her to come back. Azmaria and Joshua ran into the room at that moment calling Rosette's name, but he didn't even notice them. He didn't notice anything around him except for the woman that he held in his arms.

Outside the window, the sun was just starting to rise, signaling the beginning of a new day to their part of the world. But for Chrono, it wouldn't matter anymore. His whole world was lying in his arms.

And it had just come to an end.

-----------------------------

Magdalan Order Headquarters, New York Branch

"So what will happen now?" Sister Kate asked, looking across the convent grounds.

"This event will be erased from everyone's memories," Gabriel said. "No one must know what happened here."

Sister Kate turned to him. "Including ours?"

Gabriel shook his head. "No. You and your Magdalan Order members will be allowed to keep theirs intact. But the rest of humanity must not know about Crayak."

"Why?"

"There are certain things in this world that must happen in accordance to the flow of time and the Father's plan. Crayak's return almost threw history off course and destroyed the Plan. Those who live on Manhattan Island will return to find it just as they left it before Crayak. For those who lost family and friends because of it, a sudden outbreak of the influenza virus will explain their deaths."

Sister Kate sighed. "And history will continue on as if nothing had happened."

Gabriel nodded. "Yes. Yes, it will."

"I see. Thank you, Gabriel. I hope you'll excuse me," she said, walking toward the door. "There's somewhere I have to be right now."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

Sister Kate smiled sadly and wiped a few teardrops from her eyes. "I have to say goodbye to a very dear friend of mine."

-----------------------------

Rosette's funereal was the biggest one that the Magdalan Order had ever had. Both the West Coast and Central Branches had stayed to pay their respects to the fallen Sister. To everyone's shock and amazement, Duffau and his Devil Legion had stayed as well. Everyone who had known Rosette the best took turns speaking and saying their goodbyes. All, that is, except one.

Chrono kept his distance from the gathering. The Sinner just couldn't bring himself to be there as they lowered her body into the ground. At least, that's what he kept telling himself. In truth, he was scared. Scared of what Joshua and Azmaria will think of him. He had let Rosette die. There was no way that they would ever forgive him. Just as he could never forgive himself.

The crowd began to break up and soon the only ones left by Rosette's grave were Joshua and Azmaria. As some of the mourners passed by him, Chrono recognized one and grabbed them.

"Shader," he said, startling the cat-demon.

"Don't do that, Chrono," she said, wiping at her eyes. "You scared me to death."

Chrono ignored her and thrust something into her hand. "Get rid of it."

Shader looked at her hand and then back at Chrono. "But... but, Chrono, this is--"

"I know what it is!" he growled. "And I want you to get rid of it. Dismantle it, destroy it, I don't care! Just get it out of my sight!"

Shader looked at the pocket watch then back at Chrono, who seemed to be on the verge of bursting into tears. "Okay, Chrono. If that's what you want."

Chrono nodded.

"Alright. I'll destroy it tonight."

"Thank you," Chrono whispered as Shader walked away.

Chrono turned to walk away from the graveyard but stopped when he felt a familiar presence behind him.

"Sinner Chrono."

Chrono turned around to find Duffau standing behind him with two Pursuers at his side. Even in their human disguises, Chrono recognized them. Carv and Gurio.

"What do you want, Duffau?"

"I've come for you, Sinner. Aion is dead and the situation with Crayak has been resolved. It is time for you to receive Pandemonium's judgment."

"Fine," Chrono said. "Just hurry and get it over with."

Duffau shook his head. "Not here. Pandemonium wants to see you personally."

Duffau motioned with his head and the two demons moved forward, each one taking Chrono by an arm. Then, in a surge of demonic energy, they were gone.

-----------------------------

Pandemonium, the Demon World

Chrono stood in front of Pandemonium with a transformed Carv, Gurio and Duffau surrounding him. He glanced around and noticed that the egg chambers that had burst into flame after Aion had killed Pandemonium were full of brand new eggs. All the damage done by him and Aion had been undone with the return of Pandemonium's head. The Light no longer tried to invade and the Darkness was returned. All was as it was supposed to be.

All around him, demons crowded into Pandemonium's chamber to witness the fate of the most feared and powerful of the Sinners. They pushed and shoved against each other trying to get the best view. Some even tried to fly but that turned into a miniature air battle when a demon would get in another ones way. The pushing, shoving and fighting came to a stop and silence filled the chamber when Pandemonium's voice rang out loud and clear.

"Bring the Sinner before me."

All eyes watched as Chrono was roughly grabbed by Carv and Gurio and brought to the top of Pandemonium's throne, where he was forced to his knees. Duffau grabbed him by his hair and pulled back, making him look at Pandemonium as she spoke.

"Sinner Chrono," she said, "for your involvement with Aion's plan and the death of more than one hundred of your brothers and sisters, you were stripped of your rank and branded a Sinner. The punishment of receiving such a brand is death."

Shrill cries of 'Kill the Sinner!' and 'Death to Chrono!' echoed throughout the chamber. And everywhere, the demons began to get riled up, the thought of seeing Chrono's blood being spilled exciting them.

Chrono closed his eye in acceptance. (Yes,) he thought. (Kill me. Kill me and end my pain.)

"Also," Pandemonium continued, "due to recent events in the human world, you sentence of death has now become one of the highest priorities. However..."

Chrono's eyes flew open and the chamber became silent.

"However, due to other circumstances, death, I have concluded, would be more of an escape for you rather than a punishment. And you will not escape punishment for the crimes that you have committed. Therefore, as punishment for what you have done, I will not grant you the peaceful slumber of oblivion that you are begging for right now. Instead, you will receive the one thing that you do not want. Eternity."

The chamber exploded in outrage. The Sinner was to be spared? His blood was not going to be spilled? Unacceptable! Totally unacceptable! But despite their obvious objection to the punishment, the horde watched on.

The Pursuers kept a firm hold on Chrono as Pandemonium walked forward, her hands transforming into claws. She placed a hand on his head and he felt his horns appear, even though he was still in human disguise.

"First, on your horns," she said as she drew a clawed finger down each horn, creating a scar. "So that they may never be removed again and allow Crayak into this world."

Chrono grit his teeth in pain as powerful demonic magic was poured into his horns through the scars. The magic made his head feel as if it was on fire, but he refused to cry out. He would not give those around him the pleasure of seeing him in pain. No matter how much it hurt.

"Next," Pandemonium said, kneeling in front of him and moving his jacket aside. "On your body and soul, so that neither may be destroyed, no matter what is done to them."

Pandemonium ran a clawed finger across his chest, creating a horizontal scar. Again, demonic magic poured into the wound. But this time, I just wasn't his body that was affected, it was his soul as well. Chrono tried not to show any signs of pain, but the magic on his soul made him fell as if he were being torn apart form the inside out.

The pain soon faded away and Chrono gasped in relief. He glared at Pandemonium with all the hate that he could muster.

"You brought this upon yourself, Sinner," she said, smugly. "You have no one to blame but yourself. Take him back to the human world. He is no longer any concern of ours."

Bowing slightly to Pandemonium, the three Pursuers vanished with Chrono in tow.

-----------------------------

Magdalan Order Headquarters, New York Branch

Joshua and Azmaria worked in silence as they cleaned out Rosette's room of all of her possessions. While Joshua was cleaning out her closet, he came across a pink cocktail dress that had been put into a box and shoved into a corner.

"What the hell is this?" he asked, pulling the dress out of the box.

Behind him, Azmaria giggled. "That's the dress she wore the first time that we met."

Joshua's eyes widened. "What was she doing wearing something like this?"

"She was undercover in Las Vegas," Azmaria said, coming to stand beside him. "She rescued me from my foster father and bought me to the Magdalan Order. It was so funny. I had been hiding from Ricardo's men and she came out of nowhere, jumping into the same laundry basket that I was hiding in."

Joshua sighed sadly, putting the dress away. "So many memories are here. And I missed every one of them."

Azmaria took one of his hands. "I'll share them with you, Joshua. All of them. Whenever you want me to."

Joshua gave Azmaria's hand a squeeze and smiled at her. "Thank you, Azmaria.

The two resumed their work and drifted off into silence again until a thought struck Azmaria's mind.

"Hey, Joshua, do you know where Chrono is? I didn't see him at the funeral."

"He's probably hiding somewhere," he said.

Azmaria blinked. "Hiding? Why would he hide?"

"He's scared," Joshua said, closing a box with some of Rosette's clothes in them. "He's afraid that I'll hate him for the death of my sister."

Azmaria gasped and her hands went to her mouth. "You don't hate him, do you? Please, Joshua, you can't hate him. It wasn't his fault."

"Calm down, Azmaria," he said, taking her hands in his own. "I don't hate Chrono. Quite the opposite. I love him like a brother. He's the only family I have left."

Azmaria let loose a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I'm so glad. So, do you want to go look for him when we finish up here?"

Joshua shook is head and picked up the box. "No, lets just leave him alone for now. I think he needs time to say his final goodbyes to Rosette."

Azmaria nodded. "Alright."

Gathering up the last of Rosette's possessions, the two Apostles left the room and locked it behind them, leaving no evidence that Rosette had ever lived in there.

-----------------------------

Chrono groaned in pain as he pushed himself up to his knees after being dumped on the ground by the Pursuers. Sitting on his hunches, he looked at the red scar that stood out alike a sore thumb against his tanned skin. Gritting his teeth, he pounded the ground in frustration and anger.

Pandemonium had been right, this punishment was more fitting than any other that could have been given to him. Because now, not only would he have to live for all eternity with the pain of loosing Rosette, he would also have a constant reminder of it. The pain from the scar to go along with the pain in his heart.

Glancing up, he noticed that the Pursuers had dumped him in front of Rosette's grave. Crawling over to it, he placed his head on the cool headstone and cried. Rosette was gone. She had died saving him and he would never be able to die to escape from the pain. Life for Chrono had now become the closest thing to Hell that there was.

And he would be forced to live it everyday for all eternity.

(End of Part Eight)

-----------------------------

Author's Rant: Okay, who's gonna be the first one to throw a randomly sharp object at my head? Give it your best shot; I'm expecting a lot of them. Let me know what ya think. I can't wait to hear from ya.

Next chapter:

-- Epilogue

See ya next chapter.


	9. Wings

I do not own Chrono Crusade, it belongs to Daisuke Moriyama. The characters are being borrowed without permission for entertainment purposes only. So don't sue me, you won't get much anyhow.

This story takes place before the team leaves for San Francisco. After that it takes a sharp left into my own Alternate Universe. I will be using elements from both the Manga and Anime. Enjoy. C&C is appreciated.

Text Key:

() -- thoughts

**BOLD **-- sound effects

_Speech_ -- Chrono/Demons in true form

-----------------------------

Black Sabbath

Epilogue: Wings

By: Anime Otaku

-----------------------------

"_My wings carry the weight of misfortune. But, even so, if I try as best I can, maybe something will change."_

_-Azmaria Hendric_

_----------------------------------_

Magdalan Order Headquarters, New York Branch, 1938

Grey clouds filled the sky and blocked out the sun making it colder then it should have been. A light drizzle of rain fell from the clouds, softening the ground and creating a light mist. But Chrono didn't notice any of this. He rarely noticed anything in the world anymore.

The drizzle started getting heavier and soon it was raining slowly. It wasn't coming down hard and fast enough to soak his cloths through, but it would if he stood there for a long time. He didn't care. Let the rain fall. Let his cloths and hair get wet. What did it matter? This weather was a perfect reflection of how he felt in his heart.

Shaking his head slightly to get the water out of his eyes, Chrono knelt down and placed the bouquet of flowers in front of Rosette's grave. He didn't even bother to read the inscription on the headstone. He already knew what was written on it. It was forever burned into his memory.

The convent grounds were empty, everyone trying to stay out of the rain. Chrono preferred it that way. He didn't really want to see anyone right now. He just wanted to be here with Rosette and her memories. The scar on his chest seemed to ache as he thought about her. But he welcomed the pain. It just reminded him how weak he truly was, despite all of his demonic powers.

Chrono blinked when he heard the soft sound of footsteps squishing through the soft ground. They stopped almost directly behind him and he could hear the soft patter as raindrops fell on an umbrella.

"I knew that I would find you here," a soft voice said.

Chrono turned around and smiled a greeting. "Hello, Azmaria. It's good to see you again."

The twenty-six-year-old smiled in return. She hadn't changed much since the last time that Chrono had seen her. The gold wedding band still shown as brightly as it did the day that Joshua had put it on her finger. Though ten years had passed, Azmaria had still remained as small and petite as she had bee when she was sixteen.

"So, where's Joshua?" he asked her as she came beside him and placed a bouquet of flowers on Rosette's grave next to his. "Is he out on a mission?"

Azmaria shook her head. "He'll be here shortly. He hasn't seen you in a long time and wants to welcome you home from Germany before we go to the party."

Chrono looked to the grey sky. "How long has it been since I've been gone? Four years, right?"

Azmaria nodded. "You just simply left one day without telling us why. The children were really crushed, Chrono. They miss you a lot."

Chrono looked at Azmaria. "They miss me?" He softly chuckled. "I'm surprised they remember me at all. They were only four."

"You practically helped me and Joshua raise them. You're like a second father to them."

Chrono smiled slightly and turned back to Rosette's grave. "How old are they now?"

"They're eight-years-old today. Miss Satella is throwing them a surprise birthday party at her manor."

The demon chuckled. "You know Satella is going to buy them every present they could ever want. She spoils them rotten."

Azmaria smiled. "I know. But I can't tell her to stop. She's always so happy when they come to visit her."

Chrono chuckled. "That's true. I never knew that she was so good with kids."

"I know." There was a long moment of silence, the Azmaria asked, "Can you tell me why you went to Germany?"

Chrono thought for a moment then said, "I guess I can. My mission was canceled after all."

The Devil put his hands in his coat pockets and sighed. "The reason I went to Germany was to investigate a young dictator who was coming into power very quickly. The Magdalan Order had reason to believe that he was using the luck of a Devil to get where he was."

"Young dictator? You mean Adolf Hitler?" Chrono nodded. "Then, those clothes that you're wearing and the reason you don't have your braid anymore."

Chrono looked down at the black uniform and rain coat that he wore, the insignia and rank having been ripped off not too long ago. His gloved fingers came back and absently rubbed the place where his braid used to be.

"Yeah. I infiltrated the Third Reich as part of Hitler's secret police, the S.S. And after about a year in, I confirmed what the Order had speculated. Hitler had come to power using a Devil's Luck. Not only that, I also learned that he was heavily involved with the occult and was a part of the Thule Occult Society. Unfortunately, the Devil that he made a Contract with was his chief occult adviser. So getting rid of him was going to be difficult.

"It was two yeas ago that learned just how far Hitler's obsession with the occult went. After getting myself into the Thule Society, I learned that Hitler had teams of archeologists running around the world looking for religious artifacts. And one of his teams had succeeded. The team had found the supposed resting place of the Lost Ark just outside of Cairo, Egypt."

"The Lost Ark?" Azmaria whispered. "You mean the Ark of the Covenant?"

Chrono nodded. "The same one. I was skeptical at first, but after seeing how Hitler reacted to the news, I decided to take steps to insure that the Ark didn't fall into Nazi hands. Just in case they were right."

"What did you do?"

"I made sure that the U.S. government 'intercepted' a German communication form Cairo to Berlin. I heard that they sent someone to retrieve the Ark and from what I know, it's now kept under lock and key by the U.S."

"Who did they send?"

Chrono shrugged. "He's a very famous archeologist, that's all I know. I never got his name."

Azmaria put a finger to her chin. "I wonder who it was."

Again, Chrono shrugged. "Don't know. But the Nazis hate him with a passion."

"Was that why your mission was canceled? Because Hitler found out about what you did?"

"No. It was canceled because, six months ago, I sabotaged their attempt to locate and claim the Holy Grail. Then I stole something right after killing the Devil that Hitler made a contract with. That was three days ago."

"What did you take?" Azmaria asked.

"This."

Reaching into his jacket pocket, Chrono pulled out an object that was wrapped up in a Nazi flag. Unraveling the flag, Azmaria found herself looking at a spear head. Her eyes widened.

"Chrono," she said, her voice shaking. "Is this what I think it is?"

Chrono nodded. "It's the Lance of Longinus."

"Unbelievable." Azmaria had to fight the urge to drop to her knees and cross herself. "What are you going to do with it?"

"Bury it," Chrono said, folding it back up and putting it away. "Bury it in a place where no one will ever be able to find it again. The best place I can think of is in one of the deserts in Mexico."

"Yes, that would be best." Azmaria bit her bottom lip then said, "Chrono, I have to know something."

"What is it?"

"Was the mission the only reason that you cut off your braid?"

Chrono was silent, his jaw clenching. "No," he finally said. "It wasn't. I had other reasons."

Azmaria nodded. She didn't have to ask what those other reasons were. She had guessed just as much.

"So tell me, what's happened since I've been gone?"

Azmaria could tell that he was trying to change the subject and stem it as far away from Rosette as possible. She couldn't blame him.

"Hmmm, let's see. Well, you were here for the crash of '29, so there's no need to bring that up. Let's see. Miss Shader took over as head of the Magdalan Order's Weapons R&D Center after the Elder died last year."

Chrono sucked in a deep breath. "The Elder's... gone?"

"Yes," she said, sadly. "You should visit him before leaving here. I'm sure he would like to see you again."

Chrono nodded. "Yeah, I'll do that."

Further attempts at conversation where halted when one of Chrono's ears twitched and his face lit up in a bright smile. Turning around, he kneeled down and opened his arms wide.

"Uncle Chrono!" two eight-year-olds shouted with glee as they dove into his open arms, latching onto his neck.

Chrono struggled to remain upright as he wrapped his arms around the twins. When he had regained his balance, he stood up with them in his arms and spun them around, smiling as they laughed as squealed in excitement. Setting them down, he held them at arms length and looked at them.

"You two have gotten bigger," he said.

The boy puffed out his chest. "Of course we have. It's been four years."

The girl nodded. "Uh-huh. We're not going to stay small forever, you know."

"I know. I'm just amazed at how fast you both grew up. I still remember when you were both about this big," he said, holding a hand at their chest level.

The two gave him big toothy grins.

Chrono smiled back. It amazed him how quickly these two children had found their way into his heart. He knew that it was foolish to get attached to them, but he couldn't help it. They were so special to him. In more ways than one.

Their physical appearance was no different from any other children their age. They each had ruby-red eyes, blond hair with lavender colored bangs. It was their powers that set them apart.

The girl, Mary Rose Christopher, could see and talk to the spirits of the deceased and help the move on to the other side.

Her brother, Vincent Aion Christopher, could instantly tell who was a Devil in disguise. He could also tell who was possessed by a Mind Eater and purge that person with a single touch without having to Dive.

And when the two of them came together and combined their powers, they could see into the past and future. Truly, they were some of the most powerful psychics to be born in this world. And Chrono would not let anyone misuse their power.

"See, Dad, didn't we tell you!" Vincent said, excitedly. "Uncle Chrono was home! We told you so!"

Mary nodded in agreement. "We told you so!"

Joshua smiled down at the two and took Vincent in his arms while Chrono stood up and held Mary.

"Welcome home, Chrono. We've missed you."

Chrono smiled. "Yeah, it's good to be home."

Joshua looked at Chrono's state of dress and smirked. "Is that all you have to wear?"

"Yeah. I kinda had to make a hasty escape and haven't had time to get anything else to wear."

"Well, don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure that Miss Satella has something in your size that she would loan to you."

Both of the children's eyes lit up at the mention of Satella's name. "We're going to see Aunt Satella?" the both coursed.

Azmaria frowned and smacked her husband on the shoulder. "Joshua! You spoiled the surprise."

Joshua cringed and Mary giggled. Leaning over to Chrono's ear, she whispered, "Daddy's in trouble."

Chrono smiled at her and winked.

"Well, now that the surprise his been spoiled," Azmaria glared at Joshua who laughed nervously. "We'd better be getting over there. Miss Satella's probably wondering where we are anyway."

"Awwww, but we want to visit with Uncle Chrono some more," the twins wined."

Joshua and Chrono put the two down and Chrono kneeled in front of them. "I'll be right behind you guys when you leave here. I just have to say hello to someone who I haven't seen in a long time."

"Promise?" the two coursed.

Chrono nodded. "Promise."

"Pinky-promise?" they said, holding out their pinky fingers.

Chrono smiled and removed his gloves, taking a pinky finger in each of his own. They shook three times. "Pinky-promise."

"Promise made. And once made it can't be broken," all three said.

"Come one you two," Azmaria said. "We have to get to Miss Satella's before it gets too late."

"'Kay!" they both said.

They started to walk away, but Mary hung back and looked up at Chrono.

Chrono tilted his head to the side. "What is it, Mary?"

"She really is beautiful, Uncle Chrono."

Chrono blinked in confusion. "Who is?"

Mary smiled up at him. "Your Angle. I can't wait to meet her. She seems like a nice person."

Again, Chrono blinked. "Huh?"

"Mary! Hey, Mary! Hurry up or we're gonna leave you!" Vincent shouted back to her.

"Coming!" she called back, running over to them.

"See you later, Uncle Chrono," they called to him as Joshua and Azmaria led them to the car.

Chrono waved to them until they were out of sight.

(What the heck was Mary talking about?) he wondered.

Pushing the thought aside, he turned to Rosette's grave and knelt down in front of it and put his forehead on the cool headstone.

"Hello, Rosette," he whispered. "I've missed you."

-----------------------------

Gabriel watched Chrono as he talked to Rosette's headstone. He truly did feel sorry for the Devil. The Angle chuckled to himself. Sympathy for a Devil. His world was just full of surprises. And the biggest surprise had come from the person who was standing next to him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked the figure beside him. "Once you go through with it there's no turning back and I can't guarantee your safety. This kind of situation won't sit well with the higher ups. They'll probably try and purge the both of you from existence. You'll be hunted for the rest of your lives. Now, with that being said, are you sure this is what you want?"

The figure simply looked up at him and smiled.

Gabriel sighed. "All right. It's your life."

Reaching behind him, the Angel plucked two feathers from his wings and walked behind the figure. Placing a feather near each shoulder blade, he stepped back and watched as the single feathers multiplied into many and created a full set of wings.

"It's done," he said. "You can now travel to the mortal plain in a physical body. But, you will probably never be able to return here ever again. Is that all right with you?"

Again the figure smiled.

"All right," he said, giving the newly crated Angle a gentle shove. "He's waiting for you. Go to him."

The new Angle disappeared and Gabriel was left standing alone.

"Good luck to both of you," he whispered before disappearing himself.

-----------------------------

Chrono stopped talking when he felt a cool breeze of air pass over him and the rain came to an abrupt stop. A very familiar presence appeared behind him and the Sinner slowly got to his feet and stood very still, his heart thudding loudly in his chest and closed his eyes.

For a long tome, Chrono just stood there, breathing deeply. He was scared to turn around and find an empty space like he had done so many times before. Ever since her death, Chrono had started seeing Rosette everywhere he went. On the street, at the Order, and even on his mission to Germany. He could also swear that he could hear her voice when he was alone. But it was never her when he looked. It as always just his mind playing cruel tricks on him.

But this presence. It was so strong and so real. So very real. He dared, just for a moment, to believe that that his mind wasn't playing any tricks on him. That if the turned around, Rosette would be there, smiling and waiting for him with open arms. Taking three deep breaths to calm himself, he turned around and opened his eyes.

Rosette was there, hovering a few feet off the ground. She was dressed in a white spaghetti-strap dress and heels, with two beautiful pure-white wings coming out of her back.

Chrono felt his breath catch in his throat. She was exactly as he remembered her. Same golden hair. Same pink lips. And her eyes. Oh, God, her beautiful ocean-blue eyes! So loving, so caring, and so easy for him to drown in.

Chrono felt as if his legs would give out at any second as he walked forward. Rosette lowered herself to the ground and her wings vanished. Finally, Chrono was standing in front of her and, reaching out with a badly shaking hand, he pressed it to her cheek.

"Rosette," he gasped when his hand met warm flesh. "How?"

Rosette smiled and covered his hand with one of hers. "It seems that I built up some good credit while I was on Earth."

Chrono looked at her with wide eyes then pulled her close, burying his face in her hair. "You have no idea. No idea how much I've missed you."

"But I do," she said. "Because I've missed you just as much."

Chrono pulled back and, with tears in his eyes, kissed Rosette. He poured all the love that he had for her into the kiss. Rosette gasped in surprise at how forceful his kiss had become and Chrono used this opportunity to plunge his tongue into her mouth, tasting her once again. Rosette's gasp of surprise turned into a moan of pleasure and she wrapped her arms around Chrono's neck as he snaked his around her waist.

The two stood there for a long time, embracing each other. This was going to cause problems for the both of them. The Powers that Be were not going to sit idly by and let this kind of atrocity go unchecked. But, at that moment, Chrono and Rosette couldn't have cared less. They were together again and nothing was ever going to separate them. Ever.

"Hey," Chrono said, pulling away, "let's go."

Rosette was confused. "Go where?"

Chrono smiled. "To Satella's manor. She's throwing a birthday party there for your niece and nephew. You should attend."

Rosette's mouth dropped open. "Whoa, whoa, wait a minute! I have a niece and nephew?"

Chrono nodded. "Yeah. And a new sister. Didn't you know? Joshua and Azmaria got married and had twins. You didn't know this?"

Rosette dumbly shook her head.

Chrono's smile widened. "You'll love them. I know it."

Rosette smiled. "Alright then. Let's go."

Spreading her wings, Rosette leaped into the air and hovered there. "Well, come on, Chrono. Are we going or not?"

Smiling up at her, Chrono transformed and flew up next to her. Hand in hand, the two flew towards Satella's manor and the family reunion that would soon take place there.

Chrono could finally feel at peace. The pain that had been with him for the past four years slowly faded away until it was no more. No longer would he be alone in the world. He had Rosette with him again and that's how it was going to stay.

An Angel and a Devil. Two beings whose lives would forever stand the test of time.

Just like their love.

(The End)

------------------------------

Author's Rant: And it's DONE! Finished! Complete! Thanks to all of you who have read this from the very beginning and stuck with it until the end. I hope that this ending was satisfactory to you. I'm so glad that you enjoyed my story so much. And I hope that other people who find it enjoy it as much as you did. I can't say for sure if I'll have anything else out any time soon, but, you never know. Once again, thank you, all of you, for reading.

Life. Death. Anime in between.

Take care and I'll see ya next fic.


End file.
